Life, Love, and Family
by Esther Clemmens
Summary: Where did Hagi go while Saya was sleeping? What did he do and who was he with? Does he finally end up with Saya? Part 1 of 5. Disclaimer: I do not own Blood Plus or the characters. THIS SERIES IS COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Okay you guys, I am rewriting part 1 so please enjoy. I have been trouble writing the happy moments in Part 4 right now, so I decided to rewrite the sad angsty stuff. Don't worry, I will soon be back at work on Part 4 soon. Love you guys and I appreciate all reviews!**

**I do not own Blood Plus or the characters.  
**

~ Summer 1974 in Paris, France ~

Hagi watches the sunrise from the highest level on the Eiffel Tower. _It has been two years and my arm still won't regenerate! Where have they taken Saya?_

"Saya," he utters as he presses his bandaged hand to the chain link fence.

A young woman in her early 20s steps off the plane carrying a large olive colored duffle bag sporting a colorful smiley faced flower and the large letters P-E-A-C-E. She had long brown hair that ended at her hips that had two thin braids in the front to keep her hair out of her face. Her bell bottoms were light blue and a tie-dye tee-shirt. Her round sunglasses were perched on the end of her nose as she scanned the crowd for a familiar face.

"Marva!" a voice shouted from the crowd. A tall dark skinned man dressed in a navy business suit waved above the crowd. She smiled and ran to him. She fell into his arms as they kissed their hellos.

"I missed you so much, Jeff," she smiled as she leaned in for another kiss. In the time of turmoil with the situation in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal hanging in the air, most people were still adjusting to the shock of it all. But the young couple was contented to start out their lives as they soon would be married.

He pulled back for a moment, "I missed you more." He grabbed the duffle from her hand as they headed to the baggage claim. "Are you ready to meet my parents?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she sighs as she slumps her shoulders.

"Cheer up, Baby, it can't go any worse than when we met your parents," he said as he wrapped an encouraging arm over her shoulder.

She laughed as she trudged forward, "You're right about that."

"Come on. I know a great bistro we can go to this evening."

She frowned and kept her head down.

He lifted her chin to look into her face, "They have live music," he sang.

That brought a smile to her face, "You think they need a guitar?" Her eyes twinkled at the thought.

He laughed out loud. "My little musician. What am I going to do with you once we're married? You'll be running around looking for the next gig while I sit home like an old maid," he teased.

"Oh, stop," she laughed as she hit him with her purse.

He noticed the people were watching them and gossiping. He knew she didn't care what people thought about their odd relationship, but he was worried that someone would make trouble. It was true, the times they lived in were changing fast, but their relationship was not considered acceptable by most of society. He quickly lead her to baggage claim.

Hagi had just left the music store as he headed for the park to repair a string that had snapped the night before. He decided it would be best to keep his claw bandaged from now on unless he was battling chiropterans. He sensed one off in the distance- about 30 or 40 miles. He decided to follow it rather than restring the cello. The cello could wait.

He disappeared as he leapt to the rooftops and headed for the distant roar of the blood thirsty beast.

"The evenings are so beautiful here," Marva commented to the older man and woman sitting across from her. She enjoyed the bistro and dining al fresco. The small band was playing a tune she wasn't familiar with. She leaned her head on her arm. Jeff had commented once on the green broom skirt she wore and how it brought out her hazel green eyes. She had paired it with a peasant blouse that bared her tanned shoulders.

"Oh, yes," the balding gentleman agreed. He was slightly shorter than Jeff, but it was obvious where her Jeff got his nose and eyes from. "You should see the sunrises."

She yawned. "I may end up going to sleep early just to see it," she commented. "This jet lag is getting the best of me."

"It would be a good idea," the older woman mentioned. "The best place to see it is the highest level of the Eiffel Tower." She smiled, "I bet you would be appreciated for playing your guitar for the young lovers that visit in the morning."

"There you go, Mom, tempting my fiancee away from me again," Jeff chided as he sat down. The waiter will be a minute, there's a large party inside. He added, "Marva, I hardly think you want to haul your guitar up to the top of the tower." But he noticed she was no longer listening, she was staring at the musicians and swaying.

"Oh, that's alright," his mother smiled. "I think we're all enjoying this atmosphere right now." She looked over where Marva was seated. Marva had her face in her hands and was enjoying the band. "Some of us more than others," his mother giggled.

Marva's eyes opened and she saw past the group to a tall dark figure hauling a rather old cello case on his back. He was headed off toward the tower and seemed to be blending into the shadows that filled the streets.

Hagi looked out at the sunrise once again. He removed the cello and prepared to play while thoughts tumbled through his mind. He wondered where his Saya was sleeping. He felt her presence was a distance off, but wasn't sure of the exact location. He was certain the Red Shield was keeping watch over her. _I really don't want to run into them. After all that has happened._ He drew the bow across the strings and listened to the beautiful tone resonate through the sweet morning air. He played the song Saya taught him years ago in the French countryside. He had learned to adjust his method to his new chiropteran appendage. It reminded him of how he ended up this way in the first place as he looked down at the bandaged arm and the image flooded back from 2 years ago.

_Saya slashed the chiropteran's arm off and heard a noise in the direction of the village. Hagi knew that in this agitated state that Saya wouldn't know the difference between the villagers and the enemy. He blocked her attack with a dagger and was stunned temporarily when his queen kicked him down and struck again. Again he blocked. "Saya, don't you remember me?" he asked. She raised her sword and his arm was gone in one strike. He screamed in pain. He had been impaled, stabbed, sliced, struck, and endured it all for her sake. But the sting of betrayal was the worst pain he ever had to endure. He didn't blame her- how could he? She was his very existence. He blamed the Red Shield. They used his blood to awaken her early. Bowing his head, he awaited her final strike when she was distracted by the military forces shooting at her. She charged at them with her sword._

His head fell forward in sorrow at the memory and the bow fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked.

He looked up into the round sunglasses of a young woman he'd passed by the previous night. She looked so out of place with her brightly colored clothing.

"I'm fine," he responded as his gaze turned back to the horizon and his expression held no emotion.

"You sure?" she pressed. "You look like your cat died."

Hagi blinked and turned his steel blue eyes to her and asked, "What?"

"Sorry, it's something we say back home when we see someone crying. I'm Marva Burrows- well, soon to be Marva Trudeaux. I'm from the United States," she announced as she stuck her right hand out.

Hagi ignored the comment about his emotional state as he reached across the cello with his left and shook her hand, "Congratulations on your upcoming wedding."

"Thank you," she responded. She then asked, "...and you are?"

"My name is Hagi," he said.

"Hagi- I didn't catch your last name."

"I don't have one."

"C'mon," she laughed. "Everyone has a last name- even if they don't want it."

"I do not."

She carefully looked over him, "Uhh- huh," she said slowly showing her suspicion. "Trust me, I've been through enough tears to know, you were crying."

He blinked again at the bold woman. In all his years he'd never met such a woman. Her clothing made her stand out and she certainly wasn't shy in the least. He turned to the horizon again, refusing to respond, but he was not crying- at least not anymore.

"Come on, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone. What's wrong?" she persisted.

"Nothing," he insisted.

She hummed with curiosity and tried to figure her next move, she went for the direct approach again and commented, "You were crying."

Hagi sighed in defeat. He began to put away the cello, preferring not to continue this strange interrogation.

"Oh, don't do that," she cried out. "You play so well. Do you play in the symphony?"

Hagi stopped, "No."

"Hmm, a man of few words, huh. Well that's okay, I always find the cure for a heartache is a good jam session!"

He raised an eyebrow. "A what?" he was perplexed by this strange woman and her words. She began to pull a guitar from a beat up case that had been spray painted bright orange and covered in stickers. He held his stoic expression as he wondered what on earth the woman was talking about.

She began to strum the guitar and sing. She tapped out a beat with her feet. It almost looked like a song and dance. Hagi couldn't help but smile. She clearly was lost in the music she played.

After some time she stopped and looked at him. "Well? Play something."

"I do not know anything like that," he informed as he continued to wonder about the woman.

"Music is an expression of your soul, you just follow along and let your heart lead the way," she smiled.

"I do not understand." He really didn't. He recalled Saya admonishing him for his technique, the way he held the bow, his fretting- everything. The idea of improvising was so foreign to the expressionless man.

"It's more than technique and notes on a sheet of paper. It's expression, it's ART! Come on." She played a series of chords.

Hagi considered the idea and thought he may as well play along. He concentrated on what he thought would be the next notes in the progression of chords. He played a few notes to follow. She smiled, "You see. You got it."

They played for the gathering crowd until the sun was in the center of the sky.

"I thought I might find you here, Marva!" a voice called through the crowd. The tall man in a grey suit pushed through the crowd. "My mother's making lunch." He looked at the cellist next to her, "Who's your new friend?"

"Oh," she smiled, "this man is Hagi." She cupped her left hand to the side of her face so Hagi wouldn't hear. "A little classical, but he's loosening up nicely."

Hagi pretended not to hear her as he placed the cello back in the case.

"Marva!" Jeff tried to scold, but he couldn't keep a straight face. When he regained his composure he stuck his hand out, "Hagi, I am Jeffrey Trudeaux."

Hagi reached across with his left and shook his hand.

"Hey, do you think your mother would mind feeding one more?" she asked.

"I'm sure she wo…"

"I do not want to impose on your family," Hagi interrupted and then added, "I am not hungry." Chevaliers have no need to eat or drink and Hagi was no exception to that rule. He usually avoided human contact because all the questions were difficult to answer while keeping what he was a secret. No one would accept him once they realized he was really a monster underneath the skin- once they realized he was a being that lived on blood.

"Come on," she smiled, "we've been jamming all day and you aren't hungry! You're coming with us."

Hagi sighed in defeat again. Pulling the cello over his shoulder, he rose and followed the young woman and her fiancé out of the crowd.

Jeff drove them to the outskirts of Paris to a simple home where a balding man sat on the porch waiting for his lunch. They piled out of the car as the gentleman stood. "Marva brought a guest, father," Jeffrey informed the balding man.

As they approached the porch, a tall woman came out of the front door and wiped her hands with her apron. She smiled as her son climbed the steps and kissed her cheek. "Mother, Father, this is Hagi," Jeffrey smiled as he stretched out his arm to welcome the guest.

They all turned to the tall dark haired man with a cello case slung over his right shoulder. He appeared very formal and out of place in his unusual charcoal gray- almost black suit that had tails that ended at his knees. His shirt was stark white and neatly pressed. The man's steel blue eyes seemed to regard them and then dart around his surroundings as if he was looking for some danger.

The family ate as the stoic man picked at his food and did take a couple of bites, but did not touch the glass of water and rarely spoke. He was polite enough, but his silence and lack of expression was a bit unnerving.

After lunch ended, Hagi walked into the back yard and looked at the afternoon sun. He saw the clouds in the distance. He'd have to head east tonight to look for Saya.

He was startled from his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Marva told me you were crying when she met you this morning. Is there anything we can help you with?" Jeff asked.

Hagi looked down, "I was only tired." He wondered where everyone kept getting the idea of him crying from. He was just lost in thought. It made him wonder why he was even here. He was not the type of person that was looking for companionship- was he? It made him wonder if maybe he might have been lonely. He shook the thought off.

"You barely picked at your food and you hardly speak, but you don't seem tired," Jeff noticed. He wondered about the quiet man. It was obvious he had been through something, the bandaged arm alone told him that. "Are you a soldier from the war in Vietnam?"

Hagi stood silently. In a way he was a soldier from Vietnam, the Korean War, World War I and II. He was a soldier in a war most humans did not even know about- one that lasted more than a century and the results of it could mean the end of all humanity.

Jeff sighed, "We can't help you if you don't tell us what is wrong, Hagi. I know this world can be a harsh place, but you don't have to face it alone."

"I cannot tell you. I appreciate your hospitality, Jeffrey, but I must leave now." He bowed formally to the man as he hefted the cello case to his shoulder.

He started toward the door when Marva called out, "Are you leaving without saying goodbye?" She was hoping he would stay around and at least share his burdens with them. His stiff expression made her think that the man was holding back his emotions and putting on an act to cover it up.

"I am sorry, Marva. Thank you for all you have done for me, but I must leave now." He gave a small bow and passed by her. He was stopped when she grabbed his bandaged arm.

"Will you be at the tower tomorrow?" she asked. His expression made her think the answer was no, but she gave a pleading expression. She caught the change in his eyes as his expression remained the same.

"Yes," he responded as his eyes stared off.

"Great! I'll see you there," she chirped enthusiastically.

Hagi bowed and then he left.

"He's very polite," Jeff commented, "but I couldn't get an answer out of him. Something is really bothering him."

"He sure is old fashioned," Marva commented. "I'm surprised he didn't say a word about his problem. She must have really broke his heart- who ever she is."

The stoic man made certain he was out of sight before he began to leap from the rooftops in a blue streak. The growls of the number of chiropterans were growing louder as their numbers increased. He wasn't certain what he could do against the sheer numbers that he faced.

It was obvious he was outnumbered by the number of Diva's chevaliers alone, With all these chiropterans to face off against, he wasn't sure if he'd even see another chevalier let alone defeat them. It seems the odds were stacking against them. For now, all he could do was his part.

He found the snarling, salivating creature and placed the cello case on the stone structure next to him. He opened a compartment and removed a set of daggers each with a red jewel glittering in the hilt. He palmed one in each hand after he sheathed the rest in his jacket pockets and lunged at the creature.

His movements were fast, he landed on the other side of the creature as he pulled another set from his pocket. The creature howled in pain as the daggers had found their mark in its eyes, blinding the creature. It couldn't see the attacker until its eyes regenerated, but that wouldn't happen for a few minutes.

Hagi held the daggers in his left as he used his teeth to remove the bandage and flex the claw that proved to be a formidable weapon. His human hand palmed the daggers as he sped in the direction of the bleeding creature. Long lines of blood tinted spittle fell from its mouth as it roared through razor sharp teeth.

Hagi felt his claw connect with one side of the scaly neck and his dagger connected to the other. He brought the weapons together and heard a sickening gurgle as the creature's head fell to the ground and a geyser of blood erupted from the neck, drenching him in a shower of blood. He bowed his head, keeping the blood from going into his eyes or nose.

The battle was over and he stood, blood soaked and staring at the slain creature as if it were a rock or some other object of little consequence. He thought, _If they saw what I am, that I am this- would they accept me then? The sight of the claw alone would be enough to frighten them away, but still, it would be nice to have a friend to talk to every once in a while._


	2. Chapter 2

Okinawa 1985

The full moon rose over the ocean reflecting off the white capped waves as they crashed into the shore line. The salt moisture from the salt sea air collected upon the man that stood perfectly still for the past few hours observing the surroundings and making certain he was not seen. The sound of the ocean was calming- a timeless lullaby that kept Saya calm in his long separation from her.

Hagi was crouched above the Myagusuku family crypt. He could feel Saya's sleeping presence below him. The night concealed him, the figure clad in charcoal grey, as he jumped down to the entrance. He went inside and prepared to play for Saya. He felt the slow heartbeat of his queen as she slept. It would be at least 16 more years until she awoke. He stilled his preparations and caressed the cocoon with his chiropteran hand. "Saya, as long as you live, I will always be there," he murmured.

How many hibernations had he endured? How many more would he have to face? These were the questions that burned in his mind but he dare not bring to the surface. The pain would be too much for the man that held so many secrets behind the stone-faced façade that he wouldn't let down. He wanted to let his guard down. He wanted to tell her to live on. The pink roses would flash into his thoughts, reminding him of his feelings for the sleeping woman. It ached from being separated from her for so long and it ripped again and again for every time she reminded him of The Promise.

Passing the time for him was coming here each night and playing for the woman that he knew would go to her grave by his hand and never know of his love for her. He had played it over in his mind as his heart would shatter and another piece of his soul would die. He would lift Diva's sword, while still containing her blood and run his first and eternal love through, pull the sword back and hope that the universe held some mercy for the man that gave everything and only expected this in return- he would run himself through. He couldn't disobey her- her commands bound him in place. Whatever she demanded, hoped for, or wished for- he had to obey. He never tried even once to go against her, but he secretly wondered what would happen if he did- just once.

He played for her as he remembered the kind couple he'd come to know. He visited Paris every other year and found Marva playing her guitar at the bistro. They would "jam" together- he couldn't help but smile at the word. She still seems out of place in Paris, even though she has opted for less lively looking clothes. He couldn't really imagine her fitting in anywhere. She was like sunlight on a rainy day, refreshing and somewhat familiar. He couldn't quite figure out what she reminded him of. His life had never been an easy one, dismal at best, but when he was around the young couple in Paris, they gave him hope and a strange feeling he'd not known since the decade he lived at the Zoo in the 1870s. They accepted him, even though they didn't know all his secrets, they still welcomed him and had given him advice and a place to come to when his spirits were weighed down.

Jeff was so opposite of Marva, but they love each other. Jeff had cornered him a few years ago and forced him to tell his sad story. Hagi basically said that he was in love with the woman he was a servant to. How he was bought from his parents while he was still a boy and became a companion for Saya. She was more interested in her own agenda (he didn't want to let them know about the war with chiropterans) and really didn't have time for love. Jeff would just cup his hand on Hagi's shoulder and say, "I know you may think you'd be out of line, but you should tell her the truth."

"_You know, if Marva and I were concerned about being social equals we'd have never met, much less get married," Jeff said. _

"_It is different, you do not understand," Hagi replied._

"_Is it? Hagi, do you know Marva and I can't go anywhere without people staring and gossiping? 'What does she get out of being with him?' they ask. Her family disowned her because she chose me."_

"_I am sorry that she had to endure that." Hagi looked at the ground and felt a genuine sympathy for Marva. She lost everything and everyone she loved for the sake of love. _

_Hagi sighed, "I am not worthy of her love."_

"_Why don't you let Saya decide that for herself?" Jeff demanded. "She can't know about your feelings if you don't give her the chance by telling her. You don't seem to understand the power of love. It can conquer all things and tear down all walls. If you tell her that you're in love with her, it may forever change her world as well as yours."_

_Hagi continued to look at the ground. A tear fell from his eyes and landed on the knee of his slacks. He scowled as he could not understand why he was crying in front of the man. Hadn't he learned to control these overwhelming emotions, yet? He took a deep breath. "I cannot do that. I live to serve her. It is out of line to do what you are asking of me," he stated without looking up._

_Jeff covered his face with his hands and groaned with frustration. He wondered how he was going to get through to the stoic man. After a moment, he stood and walked around Hagi's chair and looked up into the night sky. "Hagi, there is something my grandmother used to tell me when I was learning about life. 'Look at the stars. They don't discriminate. They shine down for the prince and the poor man just the same."_

_Hagi looked up._

"_Don't you see? Her world is the same as your world. The only difference is that she doesn't see the real you because you are hiding behind that expressionless face. You have to let go of it and tell her the truth, only then will she see what she's been missing. _

"_Hagi, my friend," Marva added from the back porch, "You'll never rule the castle thinking like a peasant."_

He finished playing and placed his hand on Saya's cocoon. He imagined a life where they could be together. "_Impossible,"_ he sighed and disappeared into the night.

Another chiropteran was on the move. They seemed to be coming out of somewhere near France at first, but now they were showing up in Okinawa and again in Vietnam. Hagi knew that the small pharmaceutical company called Cinque Fleches seemed to be in every place that the blood thirsty monsters showed up.

Marva was crying as she began to box up yet another group of items. She had to get everything out of the way to learn to deal with the new machinery Jeff would need. She had the second bedroom prepared for the new arrival, but she had to move her things to the guest bedroom to make room.

_This was supposed to be a happy time. _

Picking up another box and placing it against the wall, she was startled by the ever so soft knock at the door. Wondering who it could be she carefully rose to her feet and went to the window by the door, and looked through the blinds to see a tall man in dark clothing with a telltale cello case against his right shoulder.

"Hagi!" she exclaimed as she opened the door. She fell against his chest in tears.

"Marva," he said calmly as he hugged her back, "what is wrong?" He gently guided her to the sofa as he shut the door behind him. The dark haired man's steel blue gaze took in the boxes that were placed along the wall as he remembered seeing a large truck outside. Was the couple moving? If so, where was Jeff?

She cried out her tears as they sat on the sofa. She asked forgiveness for the state her house was in. She took a deep breath to regain her composure. "Jeff was in an accident. He almost didn't make it, but he pulled through." she breathed again as tears welled in her eyes. "He will never walk or talk again. He's in a vegetated state. It means I will have to do everything for him until the day he dies. The hospital is sending a caregiver to help out for the next year or so- until my baby can attend daycare."

Her hand went to her rounded belly that Hagi had intended to congratulate the couple, but now he felt remorse. How could such a happy moment be allowed to go so wrong? He had known that life had its tendencies to throw things at you, but this seemed completely unfair. Leaving an expectant mother with all these burdens to deal with on her own was inconceivable.

"I am so sorry, Marva," Hagi stated as he rubbed her shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"You could help me get these boxes out to the van. I'm taking them to a storage facility. Then you can help me move my things to the guest room- Jeff will need the room," she requested.

As Hagi moved the boxes he began to think about Marva situation. No one was there to really help her with the new baby or her husband and Saya was in the middle of her 30 year sleep. He could stay to help out for a while and go see Saya at night. Having something to do would distract him from the loneliness he felt while Saya sleeps.

He placed a few boxes in the truck and as he came back for the next couple of boxes he placed a sympathetic left hand on Marva's shoulder, "If you would not mind, I could stay and help out with some of the duties here while you are dealing with all this. You really should not be alone, Marva."

"Oh, Hagi," She sobbed as she threw her arms around his neck, "I really would appreciate the company and the help. Thank you so very much!" She sobbed for a few minutes before she broke the embrace and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand when she noticed Hagi holding out his handkerchief. They both laughed as she accepted it and dabbed her face. "Hagi, you are a wonderful friend to us. How does Saya not see how amazing you are?"

He broke the friendly gaze and looked at the ground in his usual melancholy way, "She says 'Thank you' to me all the time. The problem is she only sees me as an invaluable servant."

"I'm sorry I brought her up," Mavra sympathized as she lifted his chin to look into his steel- blue eyes. She gave him a serious look with her hazel eyes. "You shouldn't be alone in your situation either."

He stayed with Jeff the day Marva's mother-in-law drove her to the hospital and returned in two days with a tiny squirming baby wrapped in pink bundles. The stoic man was reluctant to hold the baby at first. Marva insisted one day that he hold the child as she got up from the couch. She was sleeping peacefully and cooing out a little baby lullaby as her breaths were steady and strong. He held the infant as if she were made of glass and would break at the slightest movement. Marva laughed heartily and advised him, "Relax, you won't hurt her. Babies are just little people that need a bit more attention."

It didn't take long for him to become accustomed to holding the child and caring for her. He mused, _How strange this seems, I kill monsters with my bare hands- I am one myself! Yet, this infant trusts me- Marva trusts me with her. Why does she trust me so easily?_

Hagi stayed with Marva to help out for the next few years. He helped to care for their new daughter, Claudia, and to help move Jeff when it was needed. It was sad to see Jeff in this state. He couldn't communicate or lift a finger to help himself. Hagi sometimes consoled Marva as she cried.

But at night, he always returned to Saya.

Hagi walked a three year old Claudia to the daycare down the street from the house while Marva cared for Jeff.

"C'mon, Hagi," Claudia called out as she ran ahead. She never could get to the daycare fast enough. All her friends were waiting for her. Her pretty reddish brown hair tied up into three small pony tails with green ribbons that matched her little green overalls. She was a sweet little girl- so much like her mother and looked just like her father.

Hagi thought of Jeff.

_He always gave such great advice. I wish that I could follow it._

Hagi smiled as Claudia beamed at him, "We're here, Hagi! Hurry up, they're waiting for us."

They entered the daycare. The walls were painted a light blue with yellow trim and were covered in little crayon colored pictures all the children drew. There were children running and giggling as the receptionist checked off Claudia's name. "Are you going to pick her up today as well?"

"Yes, I am," Hagi replied. He heard a few muffled giggles off to the corner. He gazed from the corner of his eye to see a few teachers gossiping and giggling. He didn't understand why he seemed to command so much attention wherever he went- especially from the ladies. It seemed strange that all these women wanted from him what he wanted from Saya- the one woman he couldn't have.

He sighed as he left. He heard a woman whisper, "I'd take him any day- anywhere!" Sometimes chiropteran hearing is a curse.

As he entered the home, Marva was cleaning the kitchen. Her hair was pulled into a loose knot on the back of her head. He noticed it had a couple of silver streaks coming from the temples. She was showing new lines in the corners of her eyes and mouth from all the happy times she smiled. She was growing older- something he'd never experience. She had told everyone that Hagi was a dear friend that was helping the family out, but he'd become more like a member of the family. Marva even made him purchase a few extra clothes so that he'd have something else to wear each day.

"_Hagi," she announced as she folded the laundry, "you need to wear something other than black. I know you're a tortured soul, but you don't have to always look like it!"_

"_Marva, my clothing is adequate for my needs."_

"_Nonsense!" she said as she turned him around and pushed him toward the door. "Go get something a bit more cheerful! You always look like you've just come from a funeral."_

_When he returned with a new black suit with a white dress shirt she just sighed and shook her head, "What am I going to do with you?"_

_She finally gave in to the fact that Hagi was Hagi and that was not going to change._

"Hagi, you're back. I was wondering what you'd like for lunch. By now you must be tired of getting lunch and dinner when you go out," Marva smiled.

"Please, do not concern yourself. I am not hungry," he replied as he set his cello case against the wall by the coat rack. It usually rested their everyday unless he or Marva felt like playing some music.

She gazed at him for a minute. Her eyes pierced right through him. He always felt like she was inches from knowing his secret when she looked at him like this. "Hagi, please sit," she commanded.

He took a chair across the kitchen table and sat down.

She took a deep breath before she began. "I know there's something very different about you. You carry that cello case _everywhere_ you go, I have never seen you eat in the 14 years I've known you, I know you don't sleep, and you haven't aged a day in 14 years- you still look like you're about 20 something."

Hagi didn't reply. He knew he couldn't lie his way through this, but he couldn't share his secret either.

"It's okay if you're not ready to tell me what's going on just yet." She forced her eyes to meet his so he knew that she was sincere. "Just know that no matter what it is, we will still love you and you are still a member of this family. It may be a damaged family, but we will _never ever_ turn our back on you."

Hagi rose quickly, keeping his stoic expression as he tried to hide the wonder at the thought of being considered a part of a family. When he was young, he was an unwanted burden; at the Zoo, he was a slave. "Excuse me, Marva," he said as he made his way to the door.

When he got past the door, he looked to make certain the streets were empty before he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. "A family?" he said out loud. "How could they ever accept me for who and what I am." He settled in on the top of a 7 story building where he pondered the situation. In a few hours he'd go pick up Claudia.

Claudia ran inside with Hagi trailing behind her. "Mommy! Mommy!" she shouted as she handed over a colorful painting that sort of resembled a cat with pink spots and a blue and red dog. "Look what I made for Daddy!"

"Oh, that's so sweet, Baby Doll," she cooed as she hugged her.

"I made one for Hagi, too," the child informed excitedly as she pointed to the doorway where the same dark figure always stood when he brought the child home.

"Oh?" Marva asked as she looked up at Hagi. "Claudia, Daddy's resting, but we'll give his to him later. Could you please go play in your room?"

"Okay!" she grinned as she skipped off to her room.

Marva waited until she heard the child's bedroom door close. "How did you get out of here so fast? I mean one second you're on the porch and the next you've vanished into thin air!" she babbled.

Hagi began to pick up the cello case when her hand grabbed his. "Wait!" she cried out. "I don't care how you did it," she reassured as she rubbed her temples. "I know I upset you earlier, Hagi. I am sorry. I don't care who or what you are. You've been a good friend to us and we don't want you to leave."

Hagi set his cello case back down where it belonged, for now.


	3. Chapter 3

Paris 1994

_It may be damaged, but you are still a part of this family._

_Hagi stood at the highest level of the Eiffel Tower and remembered when he first met Marva and Jeff. Today they would be burying Jeff. Hagi let a tear fall from his eye. It landed on the bandaged chiropteran hand. The horrible part of immortality- the curse of immortality is watching all those around you die- knowing that you will never see them or speak with them again. He would have to face the deaths of everyone he cherished. _

"_I think I understand why you try not to attach yourself to anyone, Saya," he spoke the thought in his mind knowing she would hear it as she slumbered. "You will never have to face the time when you lose them."_

"_But you will never lose me," he thought. "I will always watch over you as you sleep. I will always be there when you wake up." _

_Hagi looked at the dreary autumn sky and felt the first drops of rain land on his face. He sighed as the sky burst forth in a cold, dreary downpour. His hair and jacket were quickly soaked through. The drops fell against his face and dripped down from his earlobes and chin, disguising the tears that fell. Life was indeed cruel. _

He came in soaking wet and removed his coat, taking it to the laundry room as he pulled a towel from the guest bath and dried his hair and face then removed the wet shirt and dried his chest and back. He pulled one of his dry shirts from the bar above the drier where he had hung it last night after ironing it while he tossed his jacket and wet shirt in the electric dryer. He listened to the hum as it dried his coat and soothed his troubled mind in its monotonous droning. The crisp white shirt was warm against his cold skin as he buttoned the shirt and then the cuffs.

"Hagi," a sorrow laden voice came from behind him. He turned to see Marva holding a tissue to her face. "How can a face life without him?"

He turned to the grieving widow, his friend. "Marva," he said as he embraced her, allowing her to sob into his chest. She then let out a scream of anger, pain, and loss. Hagi held her as they dropped to their knees. His emotions were completely overloaded from all that was happening as well as all that had happened before. Marva was sobbing as he found that tears were streaming down his face. He held her close and buried his face in her shoulder. They clung to each other as they grieved- one for her loving husband, the other for a close friend.

Hagi felt so guilty for showing such emotion, especially because it was in front of Marva, a woman he had come to respect. He pulled away, "I am sorry, Marva. I should not have lost control of my emotions. It…"

"Oh, Hagi," she laughed slightly though the tears, "what on earth do you have to be sorry for?" She saw how he looked away from her, but could clearly see the shame in his eyes. "You really think you're supposed to control your emotions all the time, don't you? Hagi, you are only human."

Hagi had to stifle a laugh, but she saw the smile.

"Ah ha!" She laughed, "You do have emotions!" She placed a hand on his knee. "It's okay to miss him. It's okay to cry, laugh, scream, jump for joy, howl in anger, do whatever you feel- we aren't going to judge you."

He allowed a tear to leave the corner of his eye. "He was always trying to give me the best advice he could. He was like the father I never had."

Marva placed a hand on the back of Hagi's head and brought his forehead to hers. "And you are like a son to me, even though I know you are at least as old as me. He thought of you that way, too, Hagi."

Hagi broke down and leaned into her embrace. This reminded him of the time at the Zoo when Saya first showed him compassion. She was so different then. She was so happy and compassionate. Hagi sobbed his heart out over the father he lost and also for the sweet, loving girl he once knew. He had never had time to grieve the loss of the carefree life they had at the Zoo and when he did, he would push it to the back of his mind. He had to fight now and there was no time for regrets for the immortal man that held everything inside. But now, the stoic man was clinging to the friend that was willing to give him what he never dared to dream of- a family.

That evening, Marva was resting in her room and Claudia was playing with a friend in her room. Hagi stepped into the backyard. The sky had cleared and he looked into a full yellow harvest moon. He felt drained from all the emotion of the day. As he sat on Claudia's swing he pondered the idea of going to visit Saya. "Saya," he said out loud. "I will come tomorrow to play for you." He placed his head against the chain that held up the swing and closed his eyes. It was the first time in a very long time that he wished for sleep.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. His vision clouded in a red haze as he heard a familiar sound- the sound was a warning. "Something is coming." He was too weak to chase a chiropteran now, especially one that had been well fed like the one he knew was nearby. He had to rest and wait until morning, he disappeared in a blue streak, leaving the swing moving back and forth eerily in the breezeless night.

The next morning, Claudia and her friend were playing in the back yard. Hagi was finishing the dishes as Marva watched the news. A home a few miles away had been broken into last night. The family was slaughtered. Hagi looked out the window- this was no robbery. He suddenly felt the warning again. It was much closer this time. Drying his hands, he hurried to his cello case and went into the backyard leaving Marva behind as she began a question he didn't stick around to hear.

"What's the matter, Hagi," Claudia asked as she watched Hagi climb onto the roof with his cello on his back.

"Go inside, Claudia, Nadine," he commanded. "Tell your mother to stay inside until I return." He opened the secret compartment in the cello case where his daggers waited. His eyes rested on Saya's sword. He knew the sword would be useless without Saya's blood, but maybe it was still sharp enough to slice the creature's head off. The sky had darkened, again as Hagi awaited the thing that was about to threaten his family.

Once they were inside, Hagi's stern gaze moved to the sky above him. The huge grey form glided down on wings that stretched as wide as the house. Hagi leapt into the air, landing a bone crushing kick to the thing's belly as a he thrust four daggers along the chiropteran's shoulder and chest. The creature landed on the roof with a thud and growled as the tough skin regenerated.

"Mommy," Claudia cried as she and Nadine came inside, "Hagi told us to stay inside until he comes back. Why does he look so scary now?"

"I don't know, Baby Doll," she kissed her forehead as they heard a thump on the roof. "Go to your room and close the window and curtains. It will be okay, I think it's just a storm coming."

"Why does he need to be on the roof if a storm's coming- he's never had to before?" Claudia insisted.

Marva looked worried as she heard more movements across the roof. She commanded, "Just do as I say. Hagi knows what he's doing." She wondered, _At least I hope he does._

Claudia and Nadine ran off to the bedroom as Mava grabbed a butcher knife and quietly slipped out the door. The scene on the roof was surreal.

Marva saw this grey, massive, winged creature descending onto her roof. Her immediate thought was a silent prayer for Hagi and then for her daughter and Nadine, and herself. She saw a flash she thought was lightening, at first, until Hagi landed on one knee on the other side of the roof. The creature had two daggers embedded in its eyes, roaring pain. The creature charged at Hagi who gracefully did a back flip over it, removing the daggers as he did so. When he landed, the creature charged in the wrong direction since it couldn't see for the moment. It fell off the roof at Marva's feet. Hagi then descended on the creature, his back to Marva, with a huge sword and swiped it across the neck. It took all his force to slice through the neck bones, but once the blade severed the bones, it easily made its way through, completely removing the head. Blood sprayed all over the back yard and the front of Hagi. He stood over the headless thing still gripping the sword. The front of him was soaked in blood from the chest down and a there was a deep gash in his shoulder. She watched breathlessly, dropping the butcher knife with a clang, as the deep gash began to close before her very eyes. "I told you to stay inside," he coolly told Marva over his shoulder.

She barely recognized the blood soaked man that stood in front of her. The horror that filled her eyes reminded him of Saya's reaction to his first transformation. He turned away, knowing that he had revealed too much and was no longer welcome here. He was mentally kicking himself for ever letting himself get involved in a close friendship with a human. He sighed as he disappeared, _It is why I remain alone and will continue to remain alone for all time._

The police came to investigate, but Hagi had disappeared along with the daggers and the cello case. There were police everywhere- looking through everything. They were collecting evidence. A blond haired man wearing a white suit came to Marva who was cuddling the two terrified girls. Thankfully, Nadine's mother had just arrived. She nodded to Marva as she left with the Claudia and Nadine. "I'll call you in the morning," she Marva called after her. She waved back.

"Hello, Mrs. Trudeaux, I am Mr. Goldsmith," she shook his hand. "We wanted to know what happened here earlier."

Marva was still not sure what she had seen. The man that she had come to know over the past decade seemed to be even more of an enigma that she previously thought. But he was still family to her and she was concerned for Hagi's safety so she felt it best not to mention him. "I noticed it was getting dark outside, so I called for the girls to come inside before it started to rain. I heard a noise on the roof, so I went out to investigate."

Mr. Goldsmith nodded, "Forgive my interruption, but did I just hear an American accent?"

"Yes, I am from the southern United States. I married my husband and moved here," she informed the strikingly handsome green-eyed man.

"Ahh," he affirmed, "please continue."

"When I went outside, I saw a man battling this huge monster. I was so shocked that I ran back inside and bolted the door- that's when I called the police."

"Mrs. Trudeaux, do you know the man who was battling this monster?"

She looked him directly in the eye, "No, Mr. Goldsmith, I do not."

The questions continued on as the crew finished their investigation and decided that the widow and her daughter had been through enough trauma and did not know anything of the chiropteran or the "man" that killed it.

The blond haired man ducked himself into the waiting car and settled into the back seat next to a dark haired imposing looking man whose face was cast in shadows.

"What has happened to the test subject?" the dark man asked.

"The test subject broke out last night and managed to cause a great deal of trouble for us," he informed. "Fortunately, the police were very cooperative in covering up the incident."

He sighed before he continued, "But we do have a problem. It seems that someone has killed the test subject."

The dark man shifted in his seat. His voice was deep and sounded angry as he spoke one word, "Saya."

"I thought so, at first," he continued, "but the blood wasn't crystallized- the head was cut off in one clean swipe."

"A chevalier?" the man asked, but did not seemed surprised.

"Saya's chevalier," he corrected.

The dark man looked out the window as a deluge began. "Have them go and clean up the mess." The dark man gripped the jeweled end of his cane. "Hagi," he growled.

It had been 6 months since Hagi left Paris, but he felt compelled to return. His heart ached at the thought of how he had left things with Marva and Claudia, but it had to be done. He couldn't pretend to be human anymore, but a part of him really wished that he could. He hated to admit it, but maybe he really was indeed lonely.

He stood in his favorite thinking spot at the highest level of the Eiffel Tower. The warm summer breeze brushed his face and moved the loose strands of hair from his jaw line. He had spent most of his time in Okinawa, hiding in the shadows. It would be nearly 10 years before Saya wake up. He knew she would need his blood to truly wake up, but the Red Shield was close, as always. He'd have to be very cautious.

"Hagi," a familiar voice called. He turned to see Marva's sparkling hazel eyes questioning him.

He didn't know what to say. How could he apologize for the pain he caused her- the danger he put her and Claudia in? What could he say to her now?

She tearfully embraced him. "Where have you been?"

"Marva, I cannot put you or Claudia in danger," he said as he looked her in the eyes. He was indeed surprised- the woman still accepted him. How could she after what she had seen? "Please, I am grateful for your hospitality and your acceptance, but…"

"Hagi, please," she interrupted as she looked him in the eyes, "I do want answers, but I want you to understand that I meant what I said. Nothing will change the fact that you are a part of my family- nothing."

He was overwhelmed. What could he say to that? Never before was he accepted so readily or at all!

She peered into his eyes as she spoke adamently, "I'm not going to let them get you, Hagi. I don't know who they are or what they want, but I know you are my son. I won't let them have you!"

She motioned for him to sit on the nearby bench. He put his cello case next to the bench and sat down. She placed her left foot back and sat down bringing her right leg over her left bringing her to sitting in what she called "sitting indian style." He always liked how comfortable she seemed to look when she did this. "Before I can do that, I need to know the truth- the whole truth."

He sighed. "Marva, you won't call me your son once you hear the truth." He folded his human hand over his bandaged hand in his lap, reluctant to let the truth out. He refused to look at her for fear that he would see rejection in her eyes.

She turned his face to look into his sad, lonely blue eyes. "Why don't you let me decide what I will call you. I don't know what you are, but I know who you are."

Hagi forced a smile which quickly disappeared as he began to speak. "The creature you saw on your roof six months ago is no different from me. It is called a chiropteran- I am a chiropteran…"

They sat for nearly two hours as he relayed the sad lonely story that was his life. He told her of Saya and the love that could never be. He told her of Diva and her unrelenting desire to turn everyone into chiropterans. He told her of the Zoo, Russia, Korea, and Vietnam. He finished by removing the bandage from his right hand to reveal what would strike terror into most people. "In Vietnam, Saya was given an injection of my blood to wake her from her hibernation early. She was out of control, killing everything in her path. She did not know me and I became one of the victims of her rampage as well. This claw is the result of my cowardice. I stayed behind feeling sorry for myself and then ran away into the forest. The Red Shield has her now and I will have to find a way to get past them to get to her."

"It is what I am. I fight my own kind because Saya wishes to destroy all chiropterans," He finished.

"All chiropterans?" she asked, "Including herself?"

Hagi looked down fighting the tears. He nodded.

"And what about you? What will happen to you?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

He just looked at her with his sorrow filled eyes.

She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, "No. You can't, Hagi."

"I cannot exist without her."

"How many times did Jeff and I tell you? How many times have we sat with you and tried to get you to see reason?" she pleaded. "TELL HER! She can't ask you to do this if she knows your feelings for her."

"My whole reason for existence is to serve Saya. Anything she wishes- I MUST fulfill. It is in my blood and I cannot disobey." He spoke to his folded hands. He couldn't look at Marva now. He couldn't see the pain in her eyes.

"You tell Saya as soon as she awakens from her 30 year sleep. You tell her everything!" she commanded.

"I cannot," he argued. "She loses her memory in her sleep and slowly regains it as she fully awakens."

She sighed as she placed her hands over her face and groaned. She took a minute to collect her thoughts before she let her hands fall into her lap again. "How long before Saya wakes up?" she asked.

"10 years."

She nodded. Her eyes were staring off into the scenery. He knew she was planning something. She finally spoke, "Hagi, there are people looking for you here. I think they want to hurt you."


	4. Chapter 4

"_Hagi, there are people looking for you here. I think they want to hurt you." _Her words rang out in his ears. He knew who the enemy was and he knew what they wanted. Pondering his situation, he gazed toward the horizon and thought of the hiding places he had.

Hagi stood up and walked to the ledge where a chain link fence protected sight seers from a very deadly fall. He clasped his hands behind his back as he looked out at the city below. Speaking softly he informed, "I know they are, Marva. This is why I must not be here. They will come after you and Claudia."

"Where will you go?" she asked.

"I am not certain," he sighed as he looked at the ground. He finished quietly, "I have a few places."

"Come with Claudia and me," she suggested. "We have to return to my parents' ranch. I plan on remaining there."

Hagi turned to her and asked, "I thought your parents disowned you."

She rose from the bench to join him and look at the scenery, "They passed away a week ago. I was hoping and praying I'd find you before we left. I'm their only living relative so I have to lay them to rest. And since I am their only living relative, I also get the ranch, too."

Hagi nodded. "I cannot stay far away from Saya."

"She's still sleeping, right? She isn't going to need you all the time. Just come and stay for a while and when Saya calls you, you can return," she explained. "Hagi, I'll even scrape some money together for the plane tickets."

"That will not be necessary," Hagi responded as he stared out at the city below. His instincts were telling him to stay behind, but something deep within him was screaming at him to follow her. Maybe the loneliness had become too much to bear- maybe his human side finally had enough of war. He pushed the thoughts aside, he couldn't just leave like he did in Vietnam- could he?

Marva smiled, "Besides, Hagi, ranch work is difficult. I have about four ranch hands and a boss working for me, but I could always use another man," she suggested, "especially one that can take down gigantic monsters." She knew he never would be able to resist a damsel in distress. She knew full well that the hired hands had been taking very good care of the ranch for years, but she also knew that she needed to convince Hagi that she really needed him- to pull him away from his thoughts of war, death, and suicide. He needed a peaceful distraction that was far away from here. She knew that she'd convince him if she sounded needy enough. _He really has a "knight in shining armor complex", _she smiled at the thought.

"I have never been to America before," he commented. "What is it like?"

Marva thought a minute before she gave an answer. "Well, it all depends on where you're going. There are many different places and they're all very beautiful in their own way. There are places like Washington State where they grow apples and cherries. It's nice during the summers, but the winter blankets the state in snow. Then there's Arizona, it's a beautiful desert state with the largest canyon in the world. Colorado has the beautiful mountains that turn into ski resorts in the winter." She cupped her hand to the side of her mouth and added, "Colorado has the most amazing sunrises I've ever seen."

"It sounds very beautiful," Hagi commented as he imagined the amazing sights he'd scene that colored everything in a deep crimson coat of blood. The war colored even the most beautiful places, because all it reminded him of was death, war, The Promise. _Promise me, when this is all over… Promise me, when this is all over… Promise me… Promise me… _His heart clenched as tears threatened behind his eyes, but the stoic façade did not crack- it didn't even twitch. He continued to look out at the horizon as a tiny part of him screamed, "You deserve this- you deserve a respite in the sea of unimaginable heartache and pain that has been your life! Take it! For all that is good and right with the world TAKE IT!" the voice was familiar. Someone who was a comfort when he was young and someone he dearly missed when he was a bit older called to him.

"Are you kidding?" she teased. "I haven't even begun to tell you of all the amazing places that are there. There's still the Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone, Niagara Falls… the list goes on and on."

"Have you seen them all?" he asked. He wondered at the idea of seeing the sights without the war coloring the memories. It would be nice to have something happy to remember other than the Zoo. He was being convinced- slowly, but surely.

"Oh, no, not yet. I plan to travel and see them all in my later years. I have a daughter to raise and a ranch to run," she smiled, knowing from that gleam in his eye she had all but convinced him. "So what do you say? You coming or not?"

Hagi knew what she was up to. She always seemed to know how to convince him to rescue her. He really didn't think of himself as a member of the family, yet. But he felt himself being drawn closer and closer to them... and to happiness as well. "Alright, Marva," he stated, "but I must go to Saya often, I must be around when she wakes up."

"I'll take what I can get," she smiled as she hugged him.

He embraced his friend as he thought out loud, "So where is the ranch?"

"Where else would a ranch be?" she laughed, "In Texas, of course!"

"What is Texas like?" he asked as his blue eyes seemed to stare into nothing, almost dreamily. He wondered if he could picture it in his mind.

"Texas is very big, but the ranch is in north Texas. The land there is a bit dry, but not a desert. It's wonderful grazing for the beef cattle. The grass can grow taller than most men. In the spring, there are fields full of wildflowers that dot the landscape in a rainbow of colors- especially blue. "

"Blue?" he asked, feeling a bit nervous as blue flowers reminded him of blue roses- blue roses reminded him of Diva.

She wasn't sure why, but his gaze had darkened and she wondered if it had to do with the Promise. "Yes, the state's flower, it's called a bluebonnet. It blankets entire fields and makes them look like an ocean of beautiful vivid blue."

"Really?" he asked. He felt reassured and that voice from his past- it made him feel so certain that this was what he needed to do. "I guess I will see it for myself soon enough."

Marva squealed her happiness as she threw her arms around him and gave him a joyful hug. For the first time ever, a small chuckle came from the stoic man. She commented, "Claudia's gonna be so happy! Who am I kidding? I'm so happy!"

Hagi followed her out as he thought, _I hope I will be happy, too._

He had put all his clothing neatly into one suitcase. Marva and Claudia had 2 each. All the furniture was staying since Marva said that the ranch was already decorated. Claudia had a box of her toys and games that was being shipped to the ranch. He pulled his cello case over his shoulder as he lifted his suitcase. He looked back at the place he had stayed for most of the past 10 years and all the memories it held for him. He sighed as he clicked off the lights.

Marva locked the door and looked up at the sky, "Goodbye, Jeff," she whispered, "I must return to my home. You were a wonderful husband to me." Tears streaked her face as she turned toward the awaiting taxi. Hagi put a sympathetic arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. She reached up and gently stroked his bandaged hand that rested on her shoulder, "Thank you, Hagi, for everything."

"It is not necessary to thank me," he responded as he felt a sinking feeling. It was like the day they had left the charred remains of the Zoo. He knew his home was long gone, but he couldn't help but miss it and the happy times he had there as he fell in love with the woman he had vowed to devote his entire life to. Her blood pulsed through his veins as he bid goodbye to a place he had come to know as his temporary home. Maybe this new country and new house would be more permanent.

That was not possible- not for him. He was a traveler and on the move. Born to a band of traveling gypsies and even given a name that translated to pilgrim- a person that was always on the move and looking for a place to put down roots. They had cursed him to be a wondering vagabond, never to find a home.

The Zoo was the only place that was truly his home, but that was ripped away from him- the boy that was sold to the master of the sprawling mansion as a slave. He was destined to follow the woman that constantly hunted down her own flesh and blood, vowing to rid the world of her own kind.

Marva smiled,_ He never changes. Even now, I can see it in his eyes, he doesn't trust that the world under him is a solid foundation._

Hagi placed his cello in the trunk along with his suitcase. He noticed an old woman with silver streaked wavy black hair that went well past her hips walking into the woods. He didn't sense she was a chiropteran, but she seemed so very familiar. She wore a long black skirt that flared all the way to the ground, a white ruffled blouse with a simple woven vest. Her eyes caught his across the distance and she smiled at him, letting him know he had done well. He shook the thought off and when he looked up, she was gone. He headed to the cab, trying to shake the eerie feeling that came over him. When he came around, he noticed that Marva was in the passenger's seat leaving him to sit with Claudia in the back.

"I hope you don't mind," Marva said, "but Claudia said she wanted you to sit with her."

He looked back and saw the 10 year old had her face turned away from him. He saw her shoulders moving and knew she was crying. "Of course, I do not mind," he told Marva. She gave him a knowing look. He had grown so accustomed to the family that he knew what Marva was saying just by the look she gave. This time it was _she won't stop crying and she doesn't want me to counsel her. Maybe you can get her to talk._

Hagi climbed in the backseat and pulled the girl into his arms. She turned to him and sobbed. He held her while she heaved huge sobs into his chest. He knew it was best just to hold her right now. He'd get her to talk once she calmed down. He noticed Marva going through the folder she was carrying, making sure their tickets, passports, and other documents were in place. He looked out the window, thinking of the past week.

_Marva was on the phone talking to the travel agency. She was having trouble getting them to understand, "No! No! No! I need two one way tickets to Dallas, Texas and one round trip." _

_Hagi was filling out the paperwork for his passport. Marva had a friend that was able to get a forged birth certificate and ID for him. She only thought it fitting that his last name be Trudeaux. He smiled to himself. He had a last name now. His mother was listed as Marva Trudeaux, and his father, Jeffrey Trudeaux. He was now part of a family according to France. He had a mother and a father. He even had a little sister. He never thought he'd see the day that he would belong to a family._

Hagi looked down at the brown haired little girl in his arms, his little sister. He felt that she was upset because she had to leave her life behind to go to an unknown place and start over again. Not an easy task for a 10 year old or a 12 year old. He began to remember that dark day.

_His mother was scolding him to put on the outfit that was given to her. That large man with the dark hair had given it to them the previous day. He also gave them a loaf of bread and told them he'd return tomorrow, expecting the boy to be thoroughly bathed and on his best behavior. _

_His mother was a beautiful woman that wouldn't stay home with her husband- he knew. The night would fall and Hagi would get out of bed and see her leaving, dressed in clothing that showed off more than was necessary. He remembered the many fights he got into when other boys from the caravan or otherwise, would tease him about his mother being a whore and a slut. The words that stung the most were- bastard child. It was plain to see that the light-skinned, blue-eyed boy with strikingly handsome features was definitely not his father's son._

_His father would get drunk every night and come after him. He would beat Hagi, if he could catch him. Most of the time, he would just pass out, cursing the boy for being born. He even told Hagi that he wasn't his son. He didn't look like his father, but he looked a lot like his mother. She was tall and slender with dark wavy hair. Her face was angled the same way as her son, but softer and more feminine. Her skin not as fair as his and her eyes were green- not blue. His father's skin was deep tan and his hair was stringy and brown. His eyes were dark brown and almost always bloodshot from all the drinking. Whenever his father had the notion to ask his mother about it, she'd just laugh and sit on his lap. She never answered him. _

_His father constantly reminded the boy that he only lived on because he might bring a good price at the slave market. _

_Hagi was heartbroken when he saw the sunrise the next day and the wealthy imposing man walked up to the caravan. The dark haired man had returned and took Hagi with him. When Hagi turned to plead with his parents not to let him go, they did not turn around. They kept going and NEVER looked back. Hagi cried silent tears all the way to the Zoo, to his new home. He felt like it may as well be his prison. _

_The dark haired man took Hagi to a small room across the hall from a very large room that was full of frilly pillows and other "girly stuff". _

"_This is your room, Hagi," The dark haired man announced. "You have changes of clothes in the wardrobe. Lunch is at 1 pm and dinner is at 6pm. Make sure that you are not late." The room was larger than any room he'd ever stayed in. It had a simple bed and nightstand. There was a window next to the bed that overlooked the gardens. "Come on, Hagi," the man called, "it is time you met Saya."_

_An older gentleman came up to them, "Amshel," he asked, "is this…"_

"_Yes, Joel," he answered, "this is Hagi."_

_The old man looked him over and smiled, "Very nice, Amshel," he commented. "I will take him to Saya." _

_The dark haired man turned and walked away._

"_Hagi," the old man said, "I am Joel. You have been brought here to become a friend to our Saya. She is young and needs some companions her own age. We just want you to be a friend to her. If you need anything, you can come to me. My office is right here around this corner. He led Hagi into the courtyard where a young girl with long dark hair was trying to catch the koi that were swimming in the fountain. "Saya," Joel called to her. She looked up. Hagi didn't look up. He was angry and scared and didn't really feel like being friendly with anyone right now. "This is Hagi."_

Hagi pulled a stray curl away from Claudia's face. She had fallen asleep in his arms. "You have your mother and I," Hagi told her softly, "so do not be sad, Claudia. You are not alone."

Marva carried her purse and a small carry- on, while Hagi shouldered his cello and carried a sleeping Claudia. The security guards checked the cello case, but found nothing. They didn't notice the secret compartment and the metal detectors couldn't scan the contents because it kept breaking down every time they tried to run the case through. They ended waving the family through without further incident.

As the plane left the runway, Hagi whispered, "Saya, I will return soon." He looked out the window and wondered what this new place would be like. He remembered history lessons on the country that had won its independence in the late 1700s. The memory of it was vague as his tutor had felt the country on the other side of the world would never hold much importance to a young Frenchman, but Hagi loved the idea of a place where one had the freedom to live however one would chose. The story of the Civil War was always a fascinating topic to him, after all, the war itself was over slavery- something that would be of importance to him.

Hagi tried to picture the rugged landscape Marva described, but it seemed impossible. He'd never seen fields of grasses as tall as a man or flowers the shade of the ocean that covered entire fields. She told him that the ranch boss would be meeting them in Dallas. Hagi had seen pictures of American cowboys and even watched part of a John Wayne film, he wondered if the man looked anything like that.


	5. Chapter 5

Hagi looked out of the window and saw the clouds passing by over the dark blue ocean below. It was his first time flying in a commercial aircraft and he wondered at the amazing things that modern science had come up with. He looked past Claudia to see Marva sleeping in the aisle seat as Claudia leaned against his shoulder.

"Hagi," Claudia's small voice asked, "are you scared?"

He turned to the young girl and saw the trepidation in her brown eyes. He understood her fear. All her life had been spent in the same home and the same people surrounded her. She had to learn a new language and make new friends. This wasn't going to be easy for the young girl. He answered, "No, Claudia. I have been many places in my life. At first it can be a bit frightening, but when you have your friends and family with you, you know it will all be okay."

"What was it like for you?" she asked. "Where did you go when you left us the day of the storm? Weren't you scared?"

He took a deep breath as he tried to answer, "I had to go to a very important place to visit a friend. I have to visit her often."

"Why? Is she sick?" Her questions kept coming. The man rarely spoke about his life outside the family home and Claudia always wondered where the man she called Big Brother went when he was away from them.

"It is hard to explain, Claudia," he answered her. "I will be able to tell you more when you are older." He dreaded that day. He could not imagine what it would be like to share his unbelievable story with the girl that he played games with and shared stories as well as memories with.

"Ooo, a secret!" she whispered excitedly. "Is it a looove secret? Is she your secret sweetheart?" Her eyes shined with excitement. She remembered how all her teachers looked at him with dreamy, far away looks in their eyes. She wondered if their was a beautiful princess he'd fallen in love with like Cinderella. She hoped that he'd let her meet her.

He smiled, "No, she is just a friend." Then he thought,_ but I wish she was. _He turned his face to the window.

"Hagi?" Claudia asked again as she fumbled with one of her braids. He looked away so quickly she wondered if she had said something to upset him. She wanted to make him smile. She seemed to be the only one in the family that knew how to bring a small curl to his lips.

"Yes?" he turned to her, distracted from his thoughts.

"Are you glad that Mother adopted you so you can be my big brother?" her eyes pleaded as she asked. She always reminded him of Joel's favorite hound when she did this. The dog would get into mischief and when he was caught and scolded, he'd look up at Joel with those big, liquid brown eyes and whine. You couldn't help but forgive the dog- or Claudia. Claudia's puppy face.

He put his bandaged arm around her, "Of course, Claudia."

When they landed in Dallas, the sun was rising. Claudia clung to Marva's hand and Hagi followed close behind. There were a lot of different people wondering around the airport as the intercom announced the flights that were boarding. It was noisy and crowded. People would pass by from all walks of life and all nationalities.

Hagi had expected them all to be rugged people dressed in cowboy hats, jeans, and boots. These people wore suits and ties as they drank steaming cups of coffee and held cell phones to their ears. There were a few that seemed to be dressed like they were from Texas, but they were few and far between. He saw Marva move and raised his head.

Marva waved to a rather gruff looking figure. He looked to be in his 40s or so. He wore a dirty, worn out cowboy hat, a faded red plaid shirt, and some worn out jeans. Hagi had seen pictures of the American cowboy and was rather surprised to see that this man wore a pair of steel toed boots, instead of cowboy boots and he wasn't covered in dust. He had a toothpick dangling from his mouth and was leaning against the wall. He touched the brim of his hat and nodded his head as Marva approached. "Marva," he stated. That was a gesture Hagi recognized as he detected the southern drawl in the man's voice.

"Jim," she responded almost shyly. "It's been a while."

He nodded again as he looked Hagi over. He scanned the boy up and down and shook his head. He pushed off the wall and walked around the boy scoffing at the ridiculous outfit and the instrument case that was slung over his shoulder. He thought, _I'll give him that, the case looks heavy, but what the hell was Marva thinking when she let him wear this thing?_

She saw where his eyes were and the dominating way Jim was looking at her boy. She cleared her throat. "This is Claudia, my daughter," she said gesturing to her daughter, "and my son, Hagi."

Hagi noticed the man was shorter than himself by about 6 inches but Hagi could sense the man was stronger than he looked. Hagi did not care for the way the man was circling him and trying to intimidate him. His eyes narrowed as the man spoke.

"Marva," he commented, "this city boy can't walk around the ranch dressed like this. He'll get that suit dirty and a rattler would bite right through those shoes."

"Jim," she scolded, "leave Hagi alone, he's been through a lot and so have Claudia and I."

Hagi didn't respond. This man was no threat to him and it would only cause trouble if he gave in to this game of who can beat who. Besides, the man's anger was misplaced, Hagi was not his enemy. Hagi sensed the man was resentful for Marva's choice to leave her parents.

"Alright, alright, Marva," Jim said as he began walking toward the baggage claim.

Marva whispered to Hagi, "Go easy on him. He has a tough job, being the boss at the ranch. He wants to put you in line so he can keep the other hands in line as well."

Hagi nodded.

They carried their baggage to an old, beat up, minivan. "I borrowed this from the new hand we hired," Jim explained as he kicked the driver's side tire. "He has a new wife and I'm sure they will start a family soon. He's a tough kid with a lot of experience with horses and cows, as well as hunting and fishing. Problem is that he's a bit too sure of himself and cocky as the damn devil."

"Which place does he stay in?" Marva asked.

Jim spit on the ground and then answered, "We got him in the first cabin. We figured he'd need the room, being the only married hand."

"What's his name?"

"Clay Simms," Jim answered as he watched Hagi close the back of the van and lead Claudia to the back seat. After Hagi settled in and shut the door, Jim turned to Marva so he couldn't see what was said- like that would stop him from hearing the conversation. Hagi smiled inwardly as he waited for the conversation to commence. "Marva, I know you came back here to start over. To tell you the truth, I'm still pissed off that you never tried to contact your momma and daddy."

Marva looked down in shame. She knew she had left so many loose ends, but she had told them she was in love with Jeffrey and nothing was going to stop her from marrying him. Her mom and dad were furious and refused to allow her to marry him, even when he came over to convince them. It was a volatile ending, but she could have at least contacted them over the years a bit more than just the occasional letter and family photo. They had been informed of Hagi helping them out, but they passed before she formally adopted him. Even though he'd been a part of the past few family photos.

"Yeah you went off with that…" Jim began. He knew it was wrong of him, but he was still angry at Marva for running off instead of staying.

"Jim," Marva interrupted her eyes ablaze, "you know I've already explained- I don't wanna hear a word. Especially not THAT word!" Her gaze met his, anger evident in her eyes. Her submissive stance was gone and replaced by a overpowering strength that only an alpha female could pull off.

Hagi saw Marva's stance go from a submissive, defeated woman to a sudden fiery, strong alpha female. He watched as she backed the boss down with a single gaze. Hagi began to understand that Marva wasn't exaggerating when she said that ranch living wasn't easy. He wondered how he would fare with the rest of the hands.

After they had driven north out of Dallas, Marva and Jim finally decided to talk again, although it was strictly business. They talked about numbers of cattle and prices cattle was bringing. Hagi's gaze went to the window as landscapes whizzed by. The twisting concrete of the city was being replaced by rugged cliffs and wide open fields. Sprinkler systems lined the fields and sprayed water on the thirsty crops. Soon the landscape became more rugged and the grasses were taller. He followed the conversation in silence as Claudia leaned against him.

"So, are Ray and Bubba still around?" she asked. "When I left, they had just been hired."

"Yeah," Jim chuckled, "Bubba has gotten really good with the horses and likes to help with the beef sale. Ray still leads the hunting expeditions for the guests." He chuckled before he added, "He's got the new guy scratchin' his head with all those old sayings he spouts."

"I remember how he used to do that to me," Marva smiled. It was so long ago that she would go to the man for advice and leave with a saying in her head that left her confused for days, but when she actually understood the saying, it had been so long that she no longer needed to know what meant. She shook off the memory. "Any problems I should know about?"

Jim sighed as he took a bit of tobacco from a round tin and stuck it in his cheek. "We got a hand, about ten years ago, goes by the name Dan. He didn't give a last name, but your daddy hired him anyhow. He helps Grady with the food most times, but he's really more of a farmer than a ranch hand. Grady's getting old- he was already old 20 years ago, but he loves to cook for the ranch. He'll probably be die before he'll leave."

Marva chuckled at the memory of the plump old man that had a grin a mile wide. He loved company and he loved the ranch. It was hard to imagine life on the ranch without Grady.

He turned down a two lane highway that wound up and down through rolling hills and beautiful, lonely scenery. There were few houses but lots of land. There were some trees, but what fascinated Hagi was the very tall grasses. Marva was right- they were as tall as a full grown man!

"We lost 20 head last year to the drought. Not as bad as we thought it would be. Also, Bubba talked your daddy into buying some new horses."

Marva's brows furrowed as she looked at Jim, "How is that news? It's a ranch- you buy horses."

"Yeah, but you know Bubba," he explained. "He's so proud of himself that he got those horses so submissive."

Marva nodded to him.

Jim slowed the minivan and turned onto a narrow dirt road. They headed down this road for nearly a mile when the road forked. Marva explained where the roads went. They went up the right fork. Hagi noticed how more roads forked off to the left or right. There were signs pointing out where the roads would take you. After a time, the road finally double backed on itself in front of a large, sprawling log cabin.

"We're here!" Marva shouted as Claudia and Hagi looked at the house that was to become their new home.

It had been a month and the family had settled into the routine of ranch life. Hagi spent the days walking the ranch. Marva had talked him into wearing something less formal. She was so worried that she actually got him some jeans, steel- toed boots and a cowboy hat- all black. When Jim saw Hagi in his new clothes, he roared with laughter, "Marva, I don't care how you dress your pretty boy, he'll never fit in here."

Teasing was nothing new to Hagi, besides, he knew that these men could easily be put in their place- if he had to go that far. His patience was wearing thin. The hired hands all chuckled whenever they saw him. He looked like a city boy dressed in a costume, but Grady would fuss while shaking a wooden spoon in their faces, "Alright, you bunch of gossiping nanny goats, get back to work. If you bunch of bums give the boy a chance, you might find he's useful."

Grady was a sweet man that was appreciative of any company that came to the kitchens. He was quite plump and very little hair, but what hair he had was white as snow. Oh, but he had the biggest smile you'd ever seen. When he was happy, everyone around him couldn't help but be happy, but when he was angry (which was rare), you better run for cover.

His comment gave Jim an idea. He was standing by the door to the kitchen when he overheard the comment. It gave him an idea.

Hagi began to leave on one of his walks, there was a slightly cooler breeze in the air today. Fall was coming and it was a welcome change. He found Texas was mercilessly hot. There were some days that he would stay inside rather than walk, just to stay away from the heat. He was having trouble adjusting to the new life. The horses were spooked by him, he didn't like dealing with the cattle, so he opted to just stay out of the way. Some help he was, just hanging around and doing nothing.

He'd seen the huge cattle that the ranch raised to sell to the beef market. They were over the other side of the hill just north of the house. They were always there in the morning because of the small creek that ran through that valley.

Marva told him that the ranch wasn't really big compared with many of the neighboring ranches, but Hagi was impressed. It seemed that the land went on forever. He'd walked it from end to end and found that he'd never known anyone to own this much land.

Claudia went with him occasionally, but today he decided to go alone.

"Hey," a voice called from the drive, "wait up!"

Hagi turned to see Clay running to catch up. He was a tall slender man with brown hair and pale blue eyes. He had a friendly smile for friends, but he didn't smile at Hagi, Claudia, or even Marva.

Clay caught up to Hagi and caught his breath, "Boss says I gotta teach you to hunt today."

"Why?" Hagi asked. He scrutinized the young man and wondered, _What could this human possibly teach him about hunting?_

Clay scowled at him, "To find out if you really are useful." With that he began walking toward the jeep that was parked by the ranch house. "You got a gun?"

"No," Hagi answered.

"That's okay, you won't need one for your first lesson."

They carefully and quietly pushed through the thick brush to a trail that ran near to the road that went to the house where Clay and his wife stayed. Clay was whispering instructions on how to track animals when Hagi noticed some tracks of a rather large bird going off to the left of where they were headed. Hagi silently followed the tracks of the bird until he came upon a large tom turkey. He silently reached to side of his left boot and moved in one fluid motion.

Clay turned back to see if the pretty boy was listening when he noticed the boy was gone. "Awe, damn!" he cursed, "the damn pretty boy is lost." He spit as he pressed his way back through the brush to find "the pretty boy" leaning against the jeep, wiping something Clay couldn't see with a cloth. There were a couple of big turkeys laying across the hood of the jeep. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"What took you so long?" Hagi asked without looking up. He held back the urge to allow a smirk to cross his lips as he saw the man's reaction out of the corner of his eyes.

"Well, I'll be damned," he muttered as he removed his hat to scratch his head. "How did you kill 'em, you don't have a gun?"

Hagi barely moved, but Clay heard something whiz by his right ear and land with a thunk in the tree behind him. He turned to see a very fancy jeweled dagger with embedded in the tree. Hagi calmly walked past him to retrieve the dagger. As he returned he gave Clay a steely gaze and asked, "Is there anything more you would like to teach me?" He left Clay stunned.

It took a moment for Clay to gather his thoughts and he finally moved to the van to check out the two large turkeys that were killed with one strategically aimed dagger each. An amazing marksman, but not too many hunters would be able to learn such a skill in one week. The man wondered at the thought of where the quiet man had learned the skill.

"What the hell are they teaching y'all in Paris?" he asked as he jumped into the jeep next to Hagi.


	6. Chapter 6

Hagi had earned the respect of the hired hands. He was easily the best hunter among them, but he was still referred to as "pretty boy". He couldn't understand it- why should he command so much attention from the opposite sex? Clay's wife came by the ranch house for his check sometimes. Whenever Hagi answered the door, she would blush and stammer her way through what she wanted. When Ray took him into town with him, the women and girls would follow him with their eyes and whisper behind his back. When he'd say hello to the cashiers at the local store, they'd blush or try to give him their phone number. Ray got a huge laugh from the scene, since Hagi obviously looked as if he had no idea what to do about the situation.

Winter would come soon. He was walking by the stables one day. He really wasn't looking for anything in particular, but he was roused from his thoughts by a high pitched neigh. The stallion was obviously upset and prancing around the practice arena. He was beautiful and red as Saya's eyes. Hagi felt drawn into the scene. Before he knew it, he was standing on bottom rail of the fence looking into the arena. Bubba was trying to saddle the horse. He would coax the horse to stand still by offering oats, but as soon as the saddle touched his back, the horse would bolt and kick at the air.

Hagi watched the scene breathlessly. He didn't even realize they were calling out to him until the horse charged, flattened his ears, and almost nicked him.

"You okay, Pretty Boy?" Jim called out. "You shouldn't go near that horse!"

"He is the new stallion you bought?" Hagi asked as he watched to horse prance around, swishing his tail in victory.

"Yeah," Bubba answered as he came up. Bubba was a heavily muscled man with blond hair. He was shy, honest, and was about 40 and very good with horses, "sorry about that. He's my monster and I'll break him someday."

"Hmph!" Ray scoffed as he walked up with a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. His hair was short and almost black and his skin was dark from spending so much time in the sun. He was very rugged because he spent a lot of time tracking and hunting alone. The ranch made a good deal of money from the hunting expedition they offered seasonal hunters. They even had guest cabins for the hunters that spent longer than a day.

"A good horse will do what any man commands of it. A great horse only listens to one man," he declared as he sauntered off toward the jeep.

"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Clay shouted after him as he hurried to catch up. "Why do you have to talk like that anyway? Just say what you mean for once!"

The men chuckled at the pair that hopped into the jeep. Bubba was winding up a rope he'd used as Jim walked toward the stables.

The jeep stopped next to Hagi. "Well, come on, Pretty Boy, we got stock up on meat for the winter. Besides, Thanksgiving will be here soon," Clay informed.

Hagi hopped in the back, "What is Thanksgiving?" He held on as the jeep moved, the wind whipping loose strands of the hair around his face back.

"It's an American celebration that honors the ending of harvest," Clay said. He pinched some tobacco from a tin he pulled from his back pocket. He put it in his cheek and offered some to Ray.

Ray put his hand up telling him, "No, thanks."

He offered some to Hagi. Hagi shook his head. He noticed almost every man around the ranch and in town chewed tobacco. It was another thing he just couldn't understand.

"We all gather round a table full of food, thankful for the bounty of food harvest time brought us- one last hoorah before winter," he explained.

Hagi nodded and wondered how he was going to manage this holiday. He never ate unless it was a bite of food to appease some human instinct to try something. He did not have the need to eat, drink, or sleep, but he did occasionally like hot tea or a chilled glass of wine. The only need he really had was for blood, but with Saya in hibernation and no chiropterans to battle, he felt no hunger for it. But when- if Saya took blood from him, he would feel that hunger gnawing at him. He would feel his throat go painfully dry and a cracking heat radiating through his body, but he had learned to ignore those feelings.

When he was severely injured and lost too much blood, he would wait until Saya was asleep before disappearing into the night. After all, he had to take care of her. How could he do that if he was too weak from a lack of blood?

He followed tracks easily. He found that hunting animals for his human family was slightly more difficult when it came to tracking. They were smaller and their tracks blended into their environment far better than a lumbering chiropteran. But killing the animals was far easier. He caught the scent of a large deer about a quarter mile into the tall grass where they gave way to a stand of trees. He had to take great pains to remain upwind of the animals and move quietly as well as fast. One hint of his scent would send any creature off in a full run even more than a human. He knew that as a chiropteran, he smelled of the blood he had to have to survive on and the smell of blood was a signal to all living things that a very dangerous being was near.

They hunted until the sun came down.

Hagi waited until he was certain everyone was asleep. He changed into his suit and shouldered his cello and silently climbed out the window onto the roof. The wind had picked up quite a bit. A cold front had moved through earlier. Hagi jumped from the roof, escaping into the night. He had his plane ticket tucked into his jacket. It would be much easier if he could use his chiropteran powers. He wouldn't have to take a plane to see Saya, but he'd made a vow over a century ago, that he would never again use those powers. He could still see the horror in Saya's eyes from the first and last time he used his powers.

George Myagusuku stood at the entry to his family tomb, the rain was pouring down around him. His wife and daughter now rested within the tomb alongside the mysterious girl he was given charge over. He couldn't stand the loneliness any longer. He put the gun to his temple, but suddenly, a heartbeat- buh-dump… buh-dump… buh-dump. It came from the tomb. George's eyes became wide with surprise. She called to him, "Please, keep living."

He placed a hand on the wall of the tomb. "Thank you," he whispered as he turned back toward his home.

Hagi was crouched on one knee on the roof of the tomb, like a dark angel standing watch.

The following 2 weeks had become cold and rainy. Hagi went to the stables where he found the red stallion in his stall. The horse let out a snort in warning. Hagi just looked at him. There was no one in the stables with him. He leaned on the door and began talking to the horse. "You are no monster, you and I are the same. We are both lonely and heartbroken. You miss your home and I miss her."

The horse was still wary. This man smelled of blood and danger. But he also smells of something… sweet.

Hagi reached his left hand over the door and offered a small apple. The horse slowly inched toward him. When he snatched the apple, he retreated again. Hagi offered another apple. He liked how the horse was becoming more and more comfortable.

In the months that followed, Hagi ventured out more and more every night. He decided to see this country that Marva described. _I wish I could share these sights with you, Saya. It is amazing._

Holidays were gone and now it would be a new year. Hagi sat on the roof of the ranch house, watching the sunrise. "Saya," he uttered. "I look forward to the day when you awaken. I miss your beautiful face." He climbed down into his window.

"Where have you been?" a small voice asked.

"Claudia," he whispered, "why are you in my room?"

The girl was curled up on his bed with tears in her eyes. He gathered her in his arms and went to open the door. "Please, Hagi," she cried, "I'm scared."

"Why?" Hagi asked as he looked into her eyes.

"I had a dream about the monster that was on our roof that day in Paris," she whimpered.

He asked, "What do you mean?"

She gave him a guilty look, "I know you told me to stay inside, but … I was scared for you. I opened my window and looked out. I saw you kill it, Big Brother."

"Oh, Claudia!" he moaned as he turned his head to the window. How would he explain this?

"When you left tonight, I was worried you wouldn't come back," she informed as her eyes danced with tears.

"When I left?" he asked as he raised a thin eyebrow.

"Yes," she answered. "I saw you jump down when the moon came out."

He set her down in the bed and sat next to her. He buried his face in his hands and felt terrible that he hadn't been more careful.

"Hagi," she whispered, "what are you?" She didn't turn her eyes from him. Those sweet little brown eyes were waiting expectantly for an answer- an answer he was not ready to give.

He was reminded of the time Marva asked him the same question.

She noticed that he wasn't going to answer, so she asked another question, "What was that monster?"

"I will explain it all when you are older," he decided and then rose from the bed and grabbed her hand to lead her back to her room.

"Hagi!" she whined and then added as she pulled her hand away, "Everyone tells me that!"

"No, you are too young," he scolded as he hoped he wouldn't have to reason with her.

She huffed as she crossed her arms. It was obvious he was going to have to reason with her.

"Claudia," he implored with a sigh, "please, I beg you, keep my secret between you and I only. No one, not even your mother can know."

"Haha!" she brightened. "A super secret all our own?"

"Yes," he responded, grateful the girl had decided not to persue her interrogation.

She extended her pinky finger to him. He wrapped his around hers and they agreed, "Our secret."

"When I'm 16 you'll explain everything."

"I never agreed to that," he retorted. He couldn't believe she was actually wanting to bargain with someone that could terrify her only moments ago.

"When I'm 16," she stated firmly as she stared at him.

He stared back. Their eyes locked and neither of them moved or blinked for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he gave in with a sighed, "Alright."

Morning broke through the night in a beautiful pastel sunrise with beams of sunlight reflecting off the glittery layer of snow that had fallen on the grass during the night. The crisp, cold air nipped at the breath of the cattle, bringing out steamy puffs from their nostrils. He came into the dining room as the sun's rays were just beginning to peek through the curtains, grabbing his black jacket from the closet by the door. Marva had insisted that he have a winter coat, so he opted for a long, black trench coat that was lined with wool. He had told her before that he was accustomed to cold temperatures, but she would not hear of him going out to catch his death from the cold. He still smiled at how ridiculous that was.

"Hagi," Marva's voice came from behind the open door.

When Hagi closed it, he saw the concern on her face. "Marva?" he asked.

She looked down at the floor, trying to collect her thoughts, "I've noticed that you are going out more and more often. Do you want to go and stay with her?" She asked.

He sighed, "Yes I do, but she will sleep for about 10 more years. I will be of no use to her right now."

"It's okay, I get it. You miss her," she smiled. "If you need to stay with her, you should."

Hagi thought a minute before he answered, "No, she will be awake soon enough and I can be of more use here, for right now."

She smiled at him, "You do whatever you feel is right. We'll be here for you."

He turned to go out the door, but noticed that it had snowed the previous night. He began to head out when Marva grabbed his arm. She handed him a scarf and some black gloves. She didn't say anything, but Hagi knew that she was saying, "I'm worried about you." Marva added as he wrapped the scarf around his neck, "By the way, happy birthday."

He blinked as he was stilled in thew middle of putting on one of the gloves. _Is it January 20th already?_ he thought. He pocketed the other glove as his bandage covered the claw anyways. He smiled at Marva, "Thank you, Marva."

"What kind of cake would you like?" she joked with a laugh.

"Very funny, Marva," he responded and then added, "Let Claudia decide- she will be the one that will eat most of it."

He walked silently through the snow and saw how beautiful everything seemed to be when it was covered in a blanket of white. It reminded him of Russia all those years ago. How he held Saya as she slept and that he promised to always be there and watch over her. They were all alone together. He wished he could tell her how much he loved her.

"Saya, I will always watch over you- even if you turn into something else, I will always be here for you. So for now- sleep well." He had told her those words long ago and he still meant them today.

_THE PROMISE-_ the wind seemed to whisper. He could hear her saying it. It haunted his happy memories. The dread he felt at the thought of killing her with his own hands tore his heart. He'd imagined it with his own mind long ago. The image made him shiver. He wanted so desperately for her to want to live and, even more, to live with him.

He stood quietly by a tree as he heard the laughter of Clay and his wife playing with their dog in the snow. She spontaneously turned to Clay and kissed him passionately. They laughed and ran to the edge of the pond to watch the dog trying to figure out the ice. It slipped and fell on its side and scurried to right itself. When it was upright again, it barked at the ice. This brought on more fits of laughter from the young couple.

He never showed it or admitted it, but he was so envious of young lovers. They had each other and the promise of happiness. It was something the quiet man never dared to admit, but so many that had come to know him seemed to notice- he was lonely and sad. He watched the young couple laugh, arm in arm as they ambled through the snow with rosy cheeks and carefree smiles, while he stood against a cold hard tree and missed the only woman he would ever love.

Jim and Marva were sitting at the dining room table, watching from the window. Hagi was leaning against a tree with his arms folded. Across the way from him were Clay and his wife, enjoying life. "What's with your boy, anyway, Marva?" Jim asked.

She knew they'd eventually figure out that the man with pale skin and ebony waves of silken hair and blue eyes was clearly not her son- or even blood related, but she had explained to them the day after they arrived that she had adopted Hagi. But she still insisted that they treat him no differently than Claudia.

Marva sipped her coffee. It was obvious what Jim wanted to know. Hagi was a great help on the ranch and never caused problems, but he was still so distant with everyone. Right now, she could actually see the jealousy he was feeling toward the couple. "Oh, Jim, he's in love with a woman he thinks he can't have." Marva sighed.

"Pretty Boy?" he asked in absolute shock. "He can have any woman he wants. If you don't believe me, follow him around a while and hear what the women say. From what I've seen, there ain't a woman alive that he couldn't get."

"Yeah," Marva chuckled, "I know he's very handsome, but he's completely in love with this one." She stood up and held the corner of the drapes in her hand, "No other woman will ever do for him. He only wants her, but from what he tells me she barely realizes he exists."

Jim snorted and then laughed, "How in the hell could she miss him? He doesn't really look like anyone else." But then, Jim thought about how easily he seemed to blend in with everything around him- even if he did look completely out of place in this century. Jim wondered how he did it.

He was also curious about what this woman that had stolen Pretty Boy's heart must look like. A man that handsome must have some perfect 10 super model waiting for him somewhere in the world.

"Well, I hope he gets the nerve to tell her someday," Jim commented.

Marva was quiet for a minute. Then she turned to Jim, "Maybe you could talk with him."

Now Jim was chuckling. "Now, Marva, I'm the last person you want giving advice about love and women. Hell, I've been divorced 3 times."

Marva smiled, "Yeah, that wasn't my brightest idea ever."

"Heck," Jim said as he got out of his chair and went to the window, "seems to me the one person you're lookin' to give advice is the one watching them right now."

She gave Jim a questioning look.

"You see her in the mirror every morning," Jim explained. "Marva, that boy doesn't trust anyone around here more than you. Most times, none of us can get more than two words from your boy. Could you imagine how he'd react to ANY of us men giving him advice?" He sighed before he continued, "No, Marva, he only trusts you."

That evening, Hagi was sitting with Claudia watching a movie on the television. He wanted the years to fly by so badly. He ached to be with Saya, but he knew what she ultimately wanted- death. He gave a small sigh that was barely audible, even from up close, and then informed Claudia that it was time for bed.


	7. Chapter 7

The rain had turned the grass green and filled the ponds and creeks. The cattle and horses were enjoying the fresh green grass and the mild weather. Bird songs filled the air along with the scent of new wildflowers. The mild weather brought Hagi outside most of the day and night. He found that it was nice to relax under a tree with a good book or ride through the ranch and help herd the cattle. The air seemed more peaceful and the multitudes of wildflowers in every imaginable shade served as a reminder of the end of the cold winter. Spring had arrived and with it came a new idea.

Dan never spoke much. He was a small man with brown hair streaked with grey. He was only in his late 30's, though. He had tough hands and he was surprisingly strong. Everyone knew he was really a farmer. He didn't do well with cattle or horses, but he loved to grow plants for the ranch.

He approached Marva with an idea. There was 10 acres of land that bordered the north end of the ranch. It had two rolling hills the creek ran between. The old man that had owned it had grown cotton on it two years ago, but had been too ill to plant on it for the past two years. Dan commented that the land really wasn't the best place for cotton, but it would make an excellent vineyard.

Marva scrunched her nose, "Grapes? Why would you want to grow a vineyard?" Marva was always adamant that this was a ranch- tough and rugged. They all had enough work without adding additional burdens to the already taxing load. Besides, the idea seemed out of place to her- too close to the idea of opening up some kind of fancy bed and breakfast.

"Well, M-ma'am," he stammered, "it is the p- perfect place for grapes. I come f-from a family of wine makers. I thought it would be in-interesting to see if I could try my hand at it."

After days of persistence, Marva eventually gave in. Dan was very set on the idea and it gave her an idea as well. Hagi always seemed out of place working with the cattle and horses, they seemed to be scared of him anyway, and he needed to learn a useful skill to earn his own way in the world. She intended to convince him to tell Saya the truth about how he felt. If he was to continue to live after the war, he'd have to make a living in some kind of way. Winemaking seemed like something that would suit the quiet, elegant man well.

She got a very good deal on the land since the old man was desperate to get rid of it. She told Dan to teach Hagi how to work the land and make wine. Hagi didn't really seem too close to the other ranch hands and she hoped he'd like Dan more, since they both were quiet and mysterious. Her plan was working.

Hagi found Dan to be a very patient teacher. They worked together, side by side. Dan explained that Hagi needed to learn some basic Spanish, since most of the seasonal workers that they'd need to hire during harvest time would be migrant workers that didn't speak much English. He was completely shocked when the quiet young man began speaking in fluent Spanish. He asked where Hagi learned to speak Spanish, but was never given an answer.

They cleared the land and planted the field with grapes that were a hybrid of native grapes and a black French grape. He explained that the native grapes were immune to the bugs and infections that are from the area, but the French grapes are what gave it the beautiful, sweet flavor.

The other hands came to help build the winery. Dan was meticulous with his plans for the layout of the building. It was situated about a third of a mile from the main ranch house, just before the vineyard. The work was hard and hot as summer creeped up on them. Even when all the others were too hot to work, Hagi continued to nail boards together, even as sweat stung his eyes and as it dripped from his brow.

It was early in July when they finished the building. When they did, they all gathered around a cooler full of ice cold beer Dan had bought to share in the celebration. Hagi took one, as did the others, and they drank to the success of the new business venture.

Jim commented, "You know, Pretty Boy, you really busted your ass building this place."

Clay added, "Yeah, just give the boy something to do and he puts everything into it."

Hagi wasn't sure what they were up to when Bubba gave Jim a nod and they each pulled a fresh beer out of the cooler. Clay and Ray laughed at the joke Hagi clearly didn't get as he raised an eyebrow when Ray grabbed one and Clay followed suit, even though the cans they had were still pretty full. It wasn't until he caught a glimpse of them shaking the cans that he caught on to what was happening. They had him backed to the wall as they popped the tabs and sprayed him with ice cold beer.

They all laughed together and were surprised when the quiet, expressionless young man did the same. He was drenched and laughing as Marva came walking up to the celebration. She laughed as she caught the strong smell of beer covering a very wet Hagi. "I see you're finally fitting in," she commented.

"It looks that way," he responded. "I think I will need to go for a swim before I go into the house."

She cupped his drenched shoulder and responded with a chuckle, "It sure looks that way.

"Hey, we'll all go," Dan suggested with a wink to Ray and Bubba, who were standing next to him. The three squeezed into the front of the Jeep as Clay, Jim, and Hagi arranged themselves in the back.

When they arrived at the south pasture, everyone piled out. Before Hagi could even get his shirt off, six arms grabbed him and lifted him off the ground. He couldn't help but laugh as he allowed them to dominate him and throw him into the pond. He figured he had to get the beer off somehow. He stripped down to his shorts and threw the soaked clothes at Jim, who was still standing at the Jeep.

"This was your idea," he accused the older man.

Jim just chuckled as he caught the clothing and tossed it in the back of the Jeep. He watched as Marva came up with a set of dry clothes for her son. He smiled and commented lowly, "You sure do look after him like he really is your own flesh and blood."

She looked at Hagi, who was now being gang splashed by Dan, Ray, and Clay. She laughed as Bubba came to his aid and they went underwater and overturned all but Clay, who was taking long strokes to the other side of the pond. She commented, "Flesh and blood is not what makes a family, Jim. It's love that binds us together. Jeff and I were there for him and he was there for us when we needed him. It doesn't matter to me that he's not my blood- heck, he doesn't even look like me or Jeff, but he's still our son."

A few of the plants had actually put on some grapes, but Dan explained that the first year grapes wouldn't be very good since they were planted late. He thought about letting the grapes just rot, but Hagi suggested harvesting a few, so they could test a recipe. They could give it a practice run.

Hagi slipped out of the house early. It was mid August and there was an excitement in the air. He decided to visit an old friend. It was only 7 am, but it was already getting hot. He felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead under his hat as he headed for the stables.

As he came in, he heard the soft nicker of a certain red horse. A red head appeared over the stall door and gave a low greeting. "Hello, old friend," Hagi spoke softly as he scratched the side of the horse's neck. The horse pressed his nose to Hagi's shirt pocket, knowing the treat was there.

Hagi pulled out a fresh carrot with a smile. He had noticed the horse was particularly fond of them. The horse made short work of the carrot as Hagi began brushing his fiery coat. He had watched Bubba do this with the other horses and decided it might be nice to do that for this horse, since no one else seemed to be able to get near him. He combed out the mane and tail. It was nearly 9 am when he finished and noticed the horse seemed to glow like fire. He stepped out, closed the stall door, and began putting the supplies back when the stable door opened.

Bubba had fed and watered the horses at 6 am, as usual, but he knew the day would be hotter, so he decided to make sure they had plenty of water. He figured he'd let them graze in the south pasture today. It had more trees for them to keep cool. He was filling the water bucket when he noticed Hagi putting the brush on the shelf. "Hey, Pretty Boy," he called out, "what are you doing?"

Hagi turned and began to walk toward the door as he responded, "I was just looking around."

The fiery stallion poked his head over the stall door and let out soft nicker.

Bubba noticed the red stallion was glowing from the thorough cleaning and attention he'd received. "Well, I'll be damned," Bubba said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, "you're the one that's been caring for that horse."

Hagi continued his hasty exit when he felt Bubba grab his arm, holding him back from the exit.

"Do you know it's been almost a year, and I still can't get that horse tamed? I can't even get a saddle on him!" Bubba informed him.

Hagi looked at the ground. "Maybe he is just lonely," Hagi suggested.

Bubba had watched Hagi from a distance and recognized the lonely heartache in the young man's eyes. He often thought about how he might be able to get the boy to open up. "I guess you have more in common with that horse than I do. Tell you what- why don't you come up here about 7 or so in the morning and I'll teach you how to break him. Do you know how to ride?"

"I used to a long time ago," Hagi answered. He remembered learning to ride at the Zoo. He enjoyed riding, especially when Joel sent him into nearby towns for various items. He enjoyed the freedom of seeing the world from the back of a horse. Saya never rode, though. The horses were afraid of her. He had found that when he received her blood, they were afraid of him, too. Secretly, he had always felt sad at the idea of never riding a horse again.

"Well," he commented, "it's not something you forget. You just need to be reminded. You busy today?"

"No, Dan and I have finished arranging the winery and the grapes will not be ready for a month," Hagi explained.

"I'll put the horses to pasture and we'll see just how close you two are," he commented as he prepared to let the horses out.

When Hagi returned, Bubba had let the horse into the practice arena. The stallion was prancing around nervously and snorting. Hagi stepped onto the bottom fence rail and threw his leg over. He sat on the fence and called to the horse with a sharp whistle and a gentle, "Hey." The horse perked his ears and turned to him.

Bubba caught his breath as he came out of the stable. He thought he was about to witness a terrible event. The green kid was about to get himself kicked or worse. Bubba was already searching for a way to explain to Marva how her boy was injured when the horse stood still before Pretty Boy expectantly.

The horse recognized the scent of his friend and walked up to him and softly nickered as Hagi scratched the horse's neck. The horse pressed his nose to Hagi's shirt pocket, knowing his friend never came empty handed- err, pocket.

Bubba chuckled, "Now I'll never hear the end of this! Looks like Ray was right."

He watched as Hagi produced a carrot from his shirt pocket. "But who'd of ever thought that the rider was Pretty Boy."

Bubba showed Hagi how to saddle the horse. He had to calm the horse several times before he actually allowed the saddle on his back, buckling it down was another matter! The horse nipped at Hagi's hands and tried pushing him away. After hours of trying, they were frustrated and sweaty.

Bubba sighed, "Well, you've done more in a few hours than I've been able to do with this horse in a whole year. Let's let him go to the south pasture with the others to cool off."

Hagi wiped his forehead with his bandaged hand, "That sounds like a good idea." He wondered if this heat would ever let up.

"Hey, you lead him there and I'll get the guys- they're out branding the one year old cows," Bubba suggested

"For what?" Hagi asked. He wondered what they were going to all do at the south pasture in this heat.

"The big pond, Pretty Boy," he smiled. "We could all use some r and r."

Hagi lead the horse to the south pasture and released the lead rope. He watched the horse head to the edge of the large pond that was shaded by a stand of small trees that offered a small amount of shade.

The big pond was a beautiful place. It was nearly the size of a small lake. The waters were usually so calm that it looked like a giant mirror in the laid down in the middle of a rolling green pasture. The pond had a few stands of trees surrounding it that thrived on its cool, clear water. He liked to watch Bubba and Jim catch catfish there.

Hagi relaxed under a tree, wiping the sweat from his forehead again and then the back of his neck. The shade offered some relief from the heat, but it still was so hot. He drank from the bottle of water he had gotten from the cooler in the back of the jeep before Bubba took off in it. As a chevalier, he didn't need to eat or drink, but the cold water felt good going down his throat. He capped the bottle and pressed it against the back of his neck as he debated pouring the icy liquid in his hair just to find some relief in this miserable heat.

The jeep pulled up and Jim, Ray, Clay, and Dan jumped out yanking off their sweaty shirts and kicking off their shoes. Hagi watched the men stripping down, realizing they were about to go for a swim. He now debated whether he should do the same.

"You coming, Pretty Boy?" Bubba asked. "Just strip down to your shorts and jump in." He took his shirt off as well. When the dark haired man made no move to do the same, he reassured, "Don't be shy, we're all guys here."

Hagi would have normally passed on the idea, but the heat was just too much. He got up and began removing his clothes and boots. He thought of folding them, but it was just too hot. He laid them over the back of the jeep, keeping them in their own stack so they wouldn't get mixed up and jumped into the pond. The water was almost clear since it hadn't rained in a while.

He stayed under the water's surface for a short time, enjoying the way the cool water encompassed his entire body. When he surfaced, the men were splashing each other and joking. Clay pushed Ray under the water and was suddenly thrown over when Ray decided to push back.

Hagi didn't want to hassle. He wanted to enjoy the cool water, so he swam to the middle of the pond and dove down. He loved how the water cooled and relaxed him. He swam underwater to the other side of the pond. Catfish darted away from him as he swam. He surfaced and felt a gentle breeze brush his face. He could almost hear Saya's voice calling him, "Hagi." He could see her red-brown eyes staring into his as her hand brushed a stray lock of hair from his face. He whispered, "I love you," as she closed her eyes in sleep. Tears came from the corners of his eyes. He had been so close to telling her that time.

"Pretty Boy, you okay?" Bubba asked. He had swum up to him and noticed the he was crying.

Hagi wiped his eyes and answered, "I am fine."

Bubba sighed, "Us guys always say we're fine when our hearts are being busted to pieces. You don't need to tell me about it. I know the pain all too well." They watched the guys splashing around on the other side of the pond. "I know you don't want to talk about it. You don't have to say anything."

Hagi watched the sun touch the horizon and thought it was time he visited Saya again.

"C'mon guys," Jim shouted, "supper time!"

Hagi pushed forward with clean even strokes as he made his way to the other side of the pond. Bubba shook his head as he headed for the other side of the pond as well.

Marva sat on the back porch after dinner was over. Hagi placed the last dish in the dishwasher and headed to the porch to join her. She turned to him as he dried his hands.

"I hear you had an eventful day," she stated. "Bubba told me about the horse."

"He is teaching me how to tame the stallion," Hagi replied.

"The stallion that couldn't be tamed," she sighed. "You truly are remarkable."

"No, I am not," Hagi commented as he looked at the stars. "The horse is just lonely and I was giving him apples and carrots."

She laughed, "So that's where my produce went."

Hagi laughed, too.

"It's good to see you laugh, Hagi."

"I have not felt like laughing in a while. To tell the truth, I am thinking more and more about the promise."

She knew what he meant, but felt it best to just let him talk.

"I cannot wait for her to wake up, but a part of me dreads it. The closer she gets to killing Diva and ending this war, the closer she gets to her ultimate goal." Tears glazed his eyes, but none fell. "I want to go see her again."

"I'll get you a plane ticket," she said.

"Thank you, Marva," he said. "Thank you for everything."

"There's no need to thank me," she responded.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N WARNING: This is where the story begins to go from a T rating to an M rating**

_**I do not own Blood Plus or the characters **_

Spring 2001

After patiently working with the spirited stallion for over a year, Hagi and the beautiful horse had become a team. The men now respected him. He had become a part of the team and the men began to rely on him.

The test batch of wine was terrible, but Dan and Hagi learned a lot from the experience. The next two years were an improvement, but it was the fifth year that they had created the best wine, so far.

Today was Claudia's sixteenth birthday and Hagi was dreading telling her the story of his life. She was preparing for her friends to arrive. They were going to play a few games, eat pizza and cake, and ride the horses.

Claudia had become a beautiful young lady. She usually had her dark brown hair done in shoulder length braids.

"Good morning, Claudia," he smiled from the doorway to her bedroom. "Happy birthday."

She looked up from her magazine and motioned him in, "Thank you, Big Brother."

He sat on the bed and watched her circling clothing items on the models and putting notations on the side. The one she currently was dealing with had a yellowy gold dress that wasn't doing much for her. "Oh, yuck," she critiqued, "what was she thinking?" She circled the dress and made a few notes about the color and the way the dress was put together. Several of her magazines were full of permanent marker circles and notes.

Hagi smiled. Claudia's walls were filled with pages from magazines and photos. She had her various fabrics and sketches on a sewing table beside Marva's sewing machine. She had declared to everyone about two years ago, that she wanted to be a fashion designer. Last year, she was so elated when Hagi gave her an authentic Gucci bag. It was expensive, but he couldn't think of a more deserving young lady. It warmed his heart when she called him "Big Brother". He was amazed at the girl's personality- it seemed to radiate an energy that made him smile and even laugh. She could tear down every wall he'd put up with a joke or comment. The stoic man had truly accepted her to be his little sister.

She put the magazine down for a minute and asked, "So, what did you get me?"

"The answer to a question you asked 5 years ago," he answered with a sly grin.

"Ha- ha- ha," responded, "very funny." She glared at him as if she was angry for a minute, but lost it when Hagi moved his face closer to her like he was going so say something. It was a game they had played since she was a child. She called it "the staring contest". Whoever laughed, blinked, or showed any emotion first, lost. Hagi was very good at it. They would usually circle each other and glare into each other's eyes for more than a minute, causing an entire room of people to hold their breath.

"You know what, Hagi," she began. "You're almost too good at that game. You don't ever show emotion on your face. It's like looking at a beautifully carved marble statue. No matter what happens around them, they stay there- motionless- their expressions never changing. But," she smiled slyly, "you are flawed."

"What do you mean?" he asked with curiosity.

"Anyone that is around you long enough can see through that stone-faced countenance."

He blinked.

She leaned into his face and stared into his eyes. She spoke in a serious tone, "Your eyes, they give you away."

"What do you mean?" he asked, thinking it was another of her games.

"I can always tell what you're feeling by looking in your eyes," she explained as she seemed entranced by his eyes.

"Oh, really?" he smiled, thinking he'd fool her.

"Yeah," she snickered, "Mom can, too. Like right now, you're trying to convey a playfulness and relaxed emotion, but underneath your broken heart is still brooding. You miss her very much."

Hagi's eyes widened with surprise. He tore his eyes away from the young girl and stared at the floor. The realization that he couldn't hide his secrets from either the girl or the woman was astounding and, at the same time, frightening. He admitted, "I never thought I was that obvious."

"Look, Hagi, it's okay," she reassured. "I've known for years that you what you feel for her goes way beyond infatuation. It's real. And like Mom says to you, _all_ the time, YOU NEED TO TELL HER!" She whacked him on the head with the rolled up magazine.

"Claudia, sister, it is not that simple," he took a deep breath before continuing. "Saya and I are not human." He took the time to explain everything and, to his surprise, her reaction was identical to her mother's- even when he revealed his chiropteran claw. She looked at him, not with fear or revulsion, but simple acceptance. When his tale was finished he sighed, "That is why Saya and I can never be."

"Big Brother," she spoke as she rubbed his knee in sympathy, "I may only be 16, but I know this much: You're life is eternal and my life is 'snap' gone like that. If I decide not to take a path, I only have about 60 or 70 years to regret it. You, on the other hand, have to burn with the what ifs forever. Wouldn't you rather spend your days, years, and centuries with the woman who captivated you?"

"But the- the promise…" he began to protest.

"That promise is so Romeo and Juliet," she fussed. "'kill me and then kill yourself' what kind of nonsense is that? When you see her again tell her I told her so." She shook her finger and then hugged her brother. "Just tell her what you feel."

He sighed. _Everyone_ kept giving him the same advice. No one understood anything about him. He patted her shoulder as he got up to leave.

"Hey, what about my gift?" she called after him.

He poked his head back through the doorway and smiled, "Look into my eyes and maybe you will get the answer." For that, he got a throw pillow to the face.

He went to the stables where his old friend was nickering to him. He brushed out the horse's coat and checked his water and feed. He laid down fresh straw last night. Bubba sold him the horse shortly after Hagi was able to ride him. He named the horse "Fury" for his spirited nature. He took the horse out and let him get a little exercise while he checked on the other horses. Then he let them out one by one to stretch their legs. "Don't wear yourselves out," he told them as he stepped onto the bottom fence rail. "There will be a bunch of 16-year-old girls here later to do that."

Bubba walked up, "Oh, you already took care of the horses, huh."

"Yes, I thought they may want to stretch their legs before the guests wear them out."

"If you keep doing everything here, I'll be out of a job," Bubba teased.

Hagi smiled as he Bubba stepped up on the fence. "I doubt that, Mom trusts you, she will never let you leave."

"I've never heard you call her Mom before," Bubba commented.

Hagi's face fell. He wasn't sure how to respond.

Bubba playfully hit him in the shoulder, "It's probably because you rarely said more than two words to anyone around here but Dan. It's good to see you're finally relaxed around us."

Hagi forced a smile, but looked down.

"Hey," he cupped Hagi's shoulder, "I know we give you a hard time because you're the boss's son, but you're really learning a lot. You're becoming more a part of the team everyday."

"Do you think they will ever stop calling me Pretty Boy?" Hagi asked.

Bubba let out a hearty laugh. He grabbed the handsome, dark haired man's chin and joked, "As long as you keep looking like a model, were gonna keep picking on you about it."

Hagi had to chuckle as he playfully swatted the muscular man's hand off. After a minute, he jumped down from the fence rail and went to get his saddle. "I am going to take Fury and check on the winery. He needs the exercise and I know he will not let anyone else ride him."

"That horse really does only have one rider," Bubba smiled.

Hagi rode off for the winery at a trot, but Fury was feeling a bit more frisky, tossing his head, begging for a little more speed. "Hold on, my friend, I will let you run after we check on the winery."

The horse snorted a protest.

Dan was checking some of the batch that was finished last year. He gave Hagi a taste. "It needs a bit more sugar," Hagi commented.

"Yeah," Dan agreed, "it will be okay, but we need something more edgy. It tastes like anything you can pick up at the supermarket. Bubba had a pretty wild idea."

Hagi raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"He said we should add smoked wood chips to the mash while it ferments. It's supposed to give a smoky flavor."

"We could try it. Maybe we could add it to one batch and check it against one that we do not add it to," he suggested as he observed the red wine in the glass.

"Hmm," Dan thought. "May as well, but what wood should we use?"

"I believe something local would be best like mesquite or pecan," Hagi suggested. "We can discuss it when the harvest is closer."

He came outside and found Fury grazing on some fresh spring clover. He gave the horse's shoulder a scratch with his fingernails. "Fury, are you ready to run?" he asked.

The horse responded with a high whinny. Hagi swung his leg over the horse and brought him to a gallop. He allowed the horse to take off southward. Hagi leaned forward letting the horse increase his speed to a full out run. This was Fury's favorite thing, running through the ranch on this trail. He knew the horse would have preferred to run on the grass, but he worried about stones or holes that were hiding in the grasses. Bubba had taught him about the dangers of straying from the path.

The horse's red mane whipped back into Hagi's face. It reminded him of flames. He remembered the final day at the Zoo.

_Fire was devouring the mansion as he and Saya watched in horror. That's when the mob showed up. They were carrying torches and pitchforks. He heard them crying out loudly, "Witch! Demon! Devil woman!" as Saya's clothing was torn when the mob tried to grab her and bind her. Tears streamed down her face and fell in glittering raindrops from her cheeks as the senseless violence continued. Her hair was pulled so violently that patches were missing for months. Her cries of fear and pain caused a rage boil up inside his chest. He felt his body change and in a heartbeat- black wings sprouted from his back, his hands grew longer as the fingers became claws. He was flying and swooping down, tearing at the mob, overturning carts, and skewering men with their own pitchforks. When it was over, he stood, exhausted, before a trembling Saya. _

_What have I become? _

If he could cry, the tears would be whipped away from his face by the speed, but what could crying do to take it back? Hagi let the horse run, hoping the speed would tear the memory from his brain. He despised that memory. Saya was so afraid that she ran from him. It took him nearly 3 days to find her. She was still trembling but had used her sword to cut what remained of her own hair, anything to make her look different than her twin. He knew it was true, even if it would appear that she had done it to cover up what had happened with the mob. She announced that she had to kill Diva to keep the world safe. He vowed to stay by her side until her wish was fulfilled, but he refused to ever use his chiropteran powers again.

Fury had run to the main road where the ranch ended. Hagi sat up, signaling the horse to slow down. They turned and headed back to the stables.

Marva was working on the fence at the south pasture when Hagi rode by. He didn't see her as his thoughts were occupied. She watched the scene of a man clothed in solid black riding a horse made of fire going at a blazing speed. It seemed a bit chilling, but he really looked good on that horse. Marva grinned slyly, "Those girls don't stand a chance."

Claudia's friends arrived that evening and went to the stables to ride the horses. Hagi came in the stables to a collective, girly gasp. He tipped his black hat the way he'd seen the other hands do to the ladies. "Ladies," he smiled.

A collective sigh followed by excited whispers. Claudia was livid. She groaned under her breath, "I know he's cute, but he's my brother."

"Your brother is sooo dreamy, Claudia," one of her friends commented.

"Do you think you could introduce me to him?" another questioned.

Claudia growled, "Lay off, he has a girlfriend!"

"Oooh," they moaned.

Hagi brought Fury out of his stall, feeling a bit flustered. He'd heard what the girls were saying about him and really did not enjoy being the center of attention.

"Hagi," Claudia asked trying to change the atmosphere, "do you think Fury will let me ride him?"

Hagi looked at the horse, "Hmm," he thought, "so far, I am the only one that he seems to like."

Claudia walked up to the horse, who tossed his head and snorted. Hagi pet the horse's shoulder and tried to calm him. Claudia reached up and stroked his nose. The horse was still slightly aggitated, so Hagi took him out for a walk.

"That's the most beautiful horse I've ever seen," one of the girls mentioned.

"A beautiful horse for a gorgeous man!" another added and the girls broke into laughter.

The party went on. The girls went inside to eat. Marva asked Hagi to play his cello for the girls. "Only if you play your guitar," Hagi haggled. They played many of the songs they had played in Paris all those years ago and the girls giggled and talked, mostly about Hagi.

Marva leaned over to him, "You sure are attracting a lot of attention."

Hagi blushed and tried to hide it. This brought on a bunch of giggles.

"You really don't know how handsome you are, do you?" she asked him with a surprised look.

"I have only ever known one existence and that is to serve Saya," he responded. He then added with a shy smile, "It is strange to have all this attention."

"You have come a long way. You used to be so stiff and rarely showed any sign of emotion, but now, you are smiling and laughing."

"Your family has given me a sweet distraction from my dismal existence," he commented.

"It doesn't have to be that way," she told him. "I was hoping that this experience would teach you that love makes the difference. If you love her, then tell her. Who knows? Maybe she's loved you all this time, too. But you'll never know if you never try."

Hagi sighed,_ there it is again,_ he thought_, the good advice that I can never take._

That night the family slept. Hagi watched from the roof as Claudia and a few of her friends snuck out. He debated following them, but felt it was better to let them go. After all, they are 16-year-old girls- how much trouble could they get into? He'd follow later to check on them.

The girls snuck out to a house party that another guy from their class was throwing. Most of the kids there would be over 18. No one knew the trouble that was to come.

The girls arrived back at the ranch around 4 am. Hagi was sitting on the porch fingering one of his daggers, his hat tipped over his eyes. He pushed his hat back and jumped down from the porch, landing in front of the girls.

He could see them trembling and by the smell of them, he knew they'd been drinking. "What are you girls up to?"

"It was just a party," one was brave enough to answer. He checked the three faces and knew who they were. "My mom and I will call your parents in morning. This will be the last night you spend here." His brows furrowed as he noticed Claudia was missing. He demanded, "Where is Claudia?"

"We don't know. We thought she came back here. She really wasn't having any fun," the same girl responded.

He motioned for the girls to go inside and ran off to the road. As soon as he was out of view, he began to leap from place to place until he got to the main road. He had seen where the boys picked up the girls in a blue truck and where they were headed. He leapt in that direction, following where they'd went earlier.

He arrived in front of a two story home at the edge of town. The music was loud and there were empty bottles all over the yard. A few couples were making out by the porch.

Inside, there were teens sitting on the couch with beer and liquor bottles littered everywhere. With lightening speed Hagi threw one of his daggers letting the handle hit the power button on the stereo- just enough to turn it off.

"The party is over," he announced.

The kids protested, one even went up to Hagi to slap him. Hagi caught the boys wrist with his left hand and gave it enough of a squeeze to hurt him, but not injure him. His commanding presence frightened the rest of the kids to gather their things and leave. He scanned the room for Claudia.

Just then, he heard a scream coming from upstairs. He knew that scream! He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he ran up the stairs. The teens in the living room weren't exactly sure whether he had jumped from the first floor landing on the second floor or if it was just the booze. Either way, no one wanted to stick around anymore.

Hagi opened the door to find a young man in the middle of raping his little sister. His eyes went from steel blue to fiery red. He could barely contain his rage. He zipped through the air grabbing the boy and slamming him against the wall, a white bandage trailing behind him. The boy struggled against the strange claw that grasped his throat. He was drunk and uncertain of what he saw, but he was certain that his attacker had a claw instead of a hand.

"That's my sister," Hagi growled as he tightened his grip on the boys neck, causing small gashes to ooze streams of blood. The boy began to make sickening gurgling sounds and was certain he was going to die. Hagi's anger was cooled as the boy's body went limp. The memory of his attack on the mob and Saya's fear filled eyes overcame him. He released the boy to the floor.

"Hagi," Claudia wept as she ran to his arms. She sobbed against his chest. Her blouse was torn and her skirt stained with blood. Hagi embraced her as guilt flooded his thoughts and a tear fall from his eye.

He held her to himself, wishing he could have gotten there sooner. "I-Is he d-d-dead?" she sobbed.


	9. Chapter 9

"No," Hagi responded flatly.

"I want you to kill him," Claudia demanded. She was suddenly in control and angry.

Hagi looked down at her tear streaked face. "Claudia, you do not know what you are saying."

"Yes, I do!" she shouted through her tears as she grabbed one of Hagi's daggers and lunged at the unconscious body.

Hagi caught her by the wrist with his chiropteran claw. "No, Claudia, it will only make things worse." As much as he wanted to let Claudia have her way, he knew that she would live to regret it. The guilt of a man's death was hard to bear- he knew, he had an uncountable number on his conscience. He also knew the boy was young and maybe- just maybe had learned a lesson tonight.

Claudia's head snapped back to look into his eyes. They had cooled back to steel-blue again. He watched her tremble with rage. "HE RAPED ME! I don't think it could get any worse," she shouted. "Damn it, Hagi, you don't care, do you?"

"On the contrary, Sister, I do care. I do not want you to end up living those 60 or 70 years with the regret of killing someone," his face was expressionless and it made her think he really didn't care at all. He began to wind the bandage around his claw as Claudia glared at him. He returned the glare, but expressed sorrow in his eyes. Whether she was responding to his sadness or breaking down from the incident, he was not sure.

He caught her as she fainted, jumped from the window, and disappeared into the night.

When they arrived home, Marva was waiting. Hagi nodded to her as Claudia ran off to her room. Marva reluctantly followed her. She could see the anger and sadness in her son's eyes.

Jim came up behind him, "What's all the commotion, Pretty Boy?"

"Claudia snuck off to a party with some of the girls. They came back without her. I caught a boy raping her," Hagi explained with anger smoldering in his eyes.

"Christ!" Jim cursed, "Damn that piece of…" Then he asked, "What did you do?"

"I knocked him off her and choked him unconscious," Hagi explained.

"Is he dead?" Jim asked.

"No," Hagi responded, "but Claudia wants him dead." He felt an overwhelming urge to hit something, but instead decided to clench his fists. He'd leave soon and find something to hunt down.

"I'll bet you do, too."

"That will not change what happened," Hagi explained, keeping his head down.

"Nope, but there'll be one less piece of scum in this world," Jim commented as he kicked the dirt.

When he was certain everyone was asleep, he disappeared in a blue streak.

The next year was difficult. Hagi visited Saya and played for her more often. He poured his heart out about his beloved sister and how she was changing before his eyes. She'd gone from happy and teasing, to brooding and angry. If Hagi came to check on her, he'd get an object, not a soft one, thrown at him followed by a shrill,"GET OUT!"

She went out at times, but was adamant that Hagi not follow her. She would opt for driving to meet the boys she dated over bringing them to the ranch. Most of the time, if any of them came to the ranch, Claudia would warn Marva to keep her 'other child' away from her new boyfriend.

She came to him about 3 months ago and asked him to teach her to fight like him, just in case someone tried to hurt her again. Her eyes never met his and he could tell she was chewing in the inside of her cheek as she waited for his response. She learned quickly, but their conversations never became friendly again. She was aggressive and never said more than two words the whole time. He wondered how he would ever reach her again.

She cut her hair very short and let it curl against her head. Her clothing was darker and less cheerful. She was often found listening to very dark music in her room. Sometimes the music was so loud, he could hear the lyrics. When he did, they were so disturbing he would feel obligated to tell Marva. She would just shake her head and say, "You'll only make things worse. Just let her work her way through this."

Thankfully, she still liked to design clothes. What she would create now was usually dark and edgy. Gone were the sunny oranges, pinks, and yellows. They were replaced with drab greys, deep purples and blues, and always the pitch black. It really was sad that she was starting to look more like him every day.

Marva had commented that Claudia was just working through her emotions. Hagi groaned sadly that he wished he could do more to pull her out of this than to just wait for her to "come out of it."

Hagi sat on the porch, _Spring 2002,_ he thought,_ three more years until Saya awakens._

Marva put a hand on his shoulder. He reached up with his left hand petted her hand as he sighed. "Give her time. She'll forgive you."

"Why should I need forgiveness?" he asked. "I have done nothing wrong."

"Yes, you have," Marva said. "You didn't rescue her before she was hurt."

Hagi snapped his head back to look at Marva. He had thought the same thing the moment it happened. How could he have messed up so badly. He should have known that nothing good could have come out of 4 16-year-old girls sneaking out and going to a party at midnight.

"She knows that you saw them leave that night, but you didn't stop them. Why?" Marva asked. She wasn't angry for what had happened. She knew that teenagers do things like this from time to time, but she wished that her daughter wouldn't have had to learn the lesson the hard way. Unfortunately, Hagi had learned one, too. For him, the lesson was more painful because he had to, for the first time, play the role of a father to an angry teenage girl. It was tearing him up inside, but she knew Claudia couldn't stay mad forever.

Hagi looked back down, "I really did not think anything would happen. I thought that they would be back shortly and I would just scold them- give them a fright, but when I realized Claudia was no longer with them…" He trailed off, not wanting to relive that memory now or ever again.

"Yes, I know," Marva reassured, "that's the trouble with being a parent. It's hard, sometimes, to distinguish innocent fun from dangerous behavior. I don't blame you, Hagi, but I think Claudia does. She sees you as her protector. Her guardian angel, but you weren't there when she needed you."

Hagi looked back at Marva again, this time with a pleading look, an apology.

"Well, that's the first time in a long time that I've seen you show any real emotion in your face," she grinned as she sat next to him and gave a reassuring hug. She rubbed his back. "Give her time."

"I miss hearing her calling me Big Brother," he admitted as he allowed Marva to comfort him the way a mother would comfort her son. He was shocked, at first, that he was being treated like a member of the family. Now he was accustomed to it. Marva was really like a mother to him. He hoped Claudia would remain his sister. He hoped Marva was right.

Jim, Bubba, and Ray drove up in the jeep. "Hey, Marva, can we borrow your boy for a few hours?"

Marva grinned, as this was her idea. She asked innocently, "Why, Jim, what's up?"

"Just a guy's night out," he shrugged.

She gave Hagi a light push between the shoulder blades, "Go on, Hagi. You need to unwind."

He gave Marva a hug and whispered in her ear, "I know this is your doing."

She gave him an innocent look as he climbed into the jeep. "Don't wait up!" Ray laughed as they drove off into the night.

The bar they went to was very lively. The band was playing one of those drinking songs country music is so famous for as the men went to the bar. Jim ordered shots of something Hagi never heard of. Bubba and Ray sprinkled some salt on their hands, licked it off, and then gulped down the liquid in the glass.

Bubba nudged Hagi, "Go on."

Hagi had drunk many different alcoholic beverages before, but he'd never heard of this drink that they were having. It came in a small shot glass the way he had seen people drink Vodka when he was in Russia. The alcohol in the glass had more color to it than Vodka. He was a bit leery, but decided he may as well "unwind" as Marva suggested. He followed suit and sprinkled some salt on his hand and swallowed the liquid. It tasted terrible and it burned his throat. "What the hell is that?" Hagi asked with disgust.

The group howled with laughter. "I-It's t-te-te-quila," Bubba laughed.

"That's right, he's French," Jim remembered. "Pretty Boy just got his first taste of tequila." He slapped Hagi between the shoulder blades as Hagi licked the salt from his hand to kill the taste.

Hagi didn't find it funny. He just wanted to get the taste out of his mouth.

"Get this boy a rum and coke," Ray laughed and he gulped down his second shot.

The drink Ray ordered for him tasted much better, but it was still pretty strong and a little sweet. But it was better than the tequila to him. "Who is driving home?" Hagi asked. He took another drink of the rum and coke.

Jim raised a hand, "That would be me. I can't drink- turns my stomach, but you go and enjoy yourself."

Hagi sat at the bar, not certain of what they expected him to do. At first he watched the bartender mixing drinks and serving shots. When another shot of tequila was ordered, Hagi caught a glimpse of something that almost turned his stomach. There was something in the bottle! He commented to the bartender who just responded that it was the worm. It usually dissolves in the bottle, but sometimes it doesn't. Hagi shook his head, _No wonder it tastes so terrible._ He couldn't imagine what possessed someone to come up with an idea to put a worm in alcohol. He inwardly shivered at the idea that he had drank something like that.

Couples were gathering on the dance floor and dancing. He didn't recognize the steps, but he'd learned from living here that people danced the two-step. He concentrated on the steps, feeling he may be asked to dance. Bubba had taken a lithe, auburn haired lady by the hand and they joined the others on the dance floor.

Ray was talking to a dark- haired girl wearing a black hat and a way to short denim skirt.

Hagi noticed a young girl on the stage. She and the dj were discussing something as the song ended and then she stepped up to the mic. She was one of Claudia's friends that hadn't snuck out that night. She had very short, wavy strawberry blonde hair that ended at her jaw line and her face was round and tanned from spending a lot of time in the sun. She smiled as some friends gave a cheer. The dj announced her name, Angie. She began to sing something that had a jazzy beat. She sang the song perfectly, note for note. He didn't recognize the song, but he appreciated her voice, and her confidence.

Everyone applauded as she took a bow and exited the stage. Hagi stepped up to her, "You have a beautiful voice," he complimented.

Her eyes snapped open wide with recognition. "You're Claudia's brother, aren't you?" She asked. "Um, Hagi, right?"

"Yes, I am," he answered.

She motioned him to sit with the group of friends. She made introductions and then explained who he was to the group. One of the boys said, "Sorry about your sister, man. We told her not to invite those girls to her party, they're nothing but trouble." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"My mother made certain they will not be invited to our home again," he informed the group.

"Claudia came to her senses, too. She doesn't even talk to those girls anymore," one of the girls stated. "I'm glad for that. She's such a nice person."

"Did you hear what those idiots said happened that night?" the other boy asked Hagi.

Hagi shook his head and looked at him, awaiting his answer.

The boy laughed heartily before he answered, "They were so drunk, they said they saw you jump up the staircase and fly off with Claudia in your arms like some kind of angel."

Hagi faked a laugh, "They were very drunk that night."

"I heard that some of them were doing drugs that night, too," one of the girls added. Hagi stopped smiling and looked at each of them.

"They were," he sighed.

The table fell silent. Finally, one of the girls spoke up, "I thought so. I hope Claudia didn't get into that."

Hagi didn't respond.

The group took his quietness as sadness. "Hey, we didn't mean to upset you, Hagi," Angie shared as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No," he admitted, "I was just thinking about her. She is still angry at me."

"Why?" Angie asked. "You came to her rescue."

"I saw them leave that night and I did not stop them. I should have," he revealed. He normally wouldn't have been so open with people he did not know, but he hoped that they would catch the lesson behind what he was going through.

Angie leaned back in her chair and gathered her thoughts. "She'll forgive you."

He looked at her.

"After all, you _are_ her brother."

An old song Hagi recognized began to play. He stood and extended a hand to Angie as the other girls collectively gasped. She took his hand and stood and he led her to the dance floor. He wanted to try out the two-step he'd been observing most of the night. The girl in his arms blushed every time she looked up. As the dance came to an end, she asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

He sighed. "No," he answered truthfully, "but my heart does belong to someone."

"Oh, that's right," she covered her mouth with the realization. "Claudia explained it before. You're in love with a girl from Paris."

Hagi held his same expression, but his eyes conveyed the sorrow in the depths of his soul, even though she could not tell.

"You must really miss her," Angie commented thinking about how long it must have been since he'd seen her.

He snapped back from his thoughts. "Yes, I do."

They returned to the table and he listened to the lively conversation absently. His mind was on Saya. He could feel her sleeping in her cocoon, yet. It wouldn't be long until she awoke. He was eager, but concerned. _Will she remember what happened? Will she go out of control again? Will she remember herself? Will she remember- me?_

The rest of the night was a blur of happiness. He danced with the other girls and joined in a lively conversation. Toward the end of the night out, a drunken Bubba climbed on the stage and tried to sing "I Fall to Pieces", bringing on a roar of laughter from everyone, including Hagi.

The next morning, Hagi was standing by his window when Marva walked in. "What is wrong, Marva?" he asked as he saw the concern in her expression.

"Hagi, the boy that raped Claudia was murdered last night," she answered as she sat on his bed. She motioned for him to sit with her, looked into his eyes, and told him the story. "One of Claudia's classmates works until 10pm at a local grocery store. As she was leaving, the boy grabbed her and took her behind a dumpster, but didn't know that she carried a box cutter with her for her job. She stabbed him with it, but then she…" Marva sobbed as Hagi rubbed the back her shoulder, comforting her. "She cut his throat open."

Hagi's hands dropped to the bed and he looked at the floor. "I was hoping I scared him enough when I threw him against the wall." It was a shock, but he was still unsure if Claudia would be happy or sad to hear the news.

Marva continued, "She is facing murder charges. I haven't told Claudia, yet. I know she wanted him dead, but…"

"She may change her mind now," he reassured, hoping he was right.

"She will. No one deserves this."

The sun was setting as Hagi was at the stables, brushing Fury's coat out after a thorough workout. He was finishing up his day, a very eventful day, as Claudia came in the stable door.

She knew where to find him. Her steps were heavy with sorrow as she wondered over to Fury's stall. Hagi was just leaving with his grooming tools as he bumped into her. Her eyes were full of tears.

He quickly put the tools up on a nearby shelf and took her in his arms. "Claudia," he murmured as she sobbed in his arms. He wished it didn't have to be this way. He had wanted her to be close to him again, like they were before. This was not the way he would have planned it, but at least he could comfort her.

When her sobs subsided she began to speak, "Hagi, I was so angry at first. S-so very angry. I wanted him to die! When I heard that he was killed, I was so happy. I went down to the store- I-I don't know why. I saw his mom and dad. Th-th-they were c-c-crying! They were crying and he's dead. I didn't realize he had a family- a life."

"Claudia," Hagi soothed, "I am sorry. I should have gone after you that night."

She looked at him. Her eyes were puffy and full of sorrow. They suddenly opened wide as if she'd discovered him for the first time. "Oh, Hagi!" she cried. "I blamed you for not killing him. I've treated you very badly. I am so sorry!"

"I am alright, Claudia," he whispered. He was so relieved to hear that she understood what he did- or did not do, but he was sad that it had to go to this extent for Claudia to see that he had been right.

"Big Brother," she said as he held her to his chest. Inwardly, he smiled. Oh, how he missed those two words! His future may have looked bleak. He felt that in another 5 or 6 years, he would have to kill Saya with her own sword and then, himself. At least he had this; he had a family to remember him. He would gladly join Saya in death- if that's the only way he could have her. For now, he could live for today.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N- Just wanting to remind everyone that I do not own Blood Plus or the characters or the song lyrics in this story. The song is "I Am Safe" Natalie Grant. ALSO- Look for Life, Love, and Family Part 2 so you can see what happens next. This BIG 'OL STORY is going to be 5 parts in all, so take your time and enjoy!**

Jim found Marva standing on the porch of the ranch house, sweeping up. Grady used to do it, but had retired more than a year ago. Hagi had asked for a final plane ticket last night. Marva knew that it was finally time for Saya to wake up, she dreaded it. She knew Hagi would be leaving and, likely, never returning. It was going to be his last week with them. She absently listened to Jim.

"Marva," he began, "I've been meaning to talk to you for some time, but I just don't know where to begin. Your boy, he gets along with everyone just fine- we even think of him as one of us, but he's..." He kicked the gravel under his feet. "What the hell! Marva, your boy is weird. I mean, he's been wearing that bandage on his arm since he got here and it still ain't healed, yet whenever he gets cut, burned, or bruised, he's healed by nightfall. Then, he barely speaks to anyone- even the night we went out. He hung out with those kids, but he barely said more than three words to them. He NEVER eats anything. Then there's the rumors of what happened the night Claudia…"

"Those kids were drunk," Marva explained quietly as she continued to sweep.

"I know that Marva, but they _all_ said they saw the same thing."

Marva didn't look up. She debated within herself what she should do.

"Marva, why doesn't he age?" Jim questioned.

His pointed question pierced her like a knife. _How do I explain this? I knew the time would come when questions would be asked, but I just can't handle it- not now. "_Jim, please, I will explain. Just give me time to gather my thoughts, please," she pleaded.

Jim stepped onto the porch and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "We just want to know the truth. We aren't going to judge anyone. Lord knows, none of us have any right to."

_Now where have I heard those words before?_ She thought_. I told Hagi that many- many years ago. Now I understand his fear of revealing the truth. I doubt they'll even believe me._

Hagi was out at the barn. He had asked Marva over a year ago if Angie and her friends could use it to practice their music. Hagi listened to a couple of sessions before he was asked to join. He really didn't think a cello would make any sense with this very different style of music. After all, Saya had taught him how to play classical music. He had been disciplined in the rigid structure of Beethoven, Mozart, and, Saya's favorite, Bach. He wasn't sure about this. He had only "jammed" with Marva before and she played acoustic guitar, he would just follow the chords in succession. This band had electric guitars, drums, keyboards, and, on occasion, they'd scream lyrics rather than sing them. It was very different from what he was used to, but he just sat and listened, mostly.

During one of their sessions, Angie began to sing a song. It was beautiful. The second verse found Hagi playing along a basic bass line, but in the most melancholy tone, perfect for the tone of the song.

_Drowning the tears won't make it go away._

_It's robbing my soul, so I'm taking this mask off my face._

_Yea, to discover love and uncover all it means to really breathe_

_I'm not gonna hide, I'm not gonna run away_

_I'll uncover the scars and show you every mistake._

_Your love is mending my blisters and _

_The bruising shame._

_Here with you, I am safe._

The song had stopped and everyone was looking at Hagi. "That was beautiful, Hagi," Angie breathed. "We should try it again. Only this time, do you think you could start it off, Hagi?"

Claudia and Marva had watched from the barn door as Hagi began to play the simple notes that led into the song, the notes he felt best suited it. What the notes lacked in complexity was more than made up for by the somber tone that conveyed a painfully sad emotion. Then, Angie began to sing the first verse as each instrument joined in. Claudia and Marva watched Hagi playing the music, eyes closed. To the average person, he just looked like a cellist playing notes written for him to play, but Marva and Claudia knew him better than that. "I've never seen him like this," Claudia commented. "He actually looks like he's enjoying it."

"All those years I played with him, I could never get him to improvise this way. He was always so analytical with music. He was always calculating the notes, but now, he's playing from the heart," Marva smiled.

The refrain brought a triumphant tone that sped the momentum of the song. Hagi swayed with the music, becoming lost in the notes as well as the words. He longed to be like the person the song depicted, allowing himself to open up his defenses and declare to the world his love for Saya, but he knew that love was forbidden. She was his queen and he was her chevalier, but he couldn't stop how he felt. He'd felt it before he had become a chevalier. He was torn between obedience and his heart. He wished for- desired for the ending to their story to be like the song. He wanted to take the mask of stoicism off and show Saya his true feelings. He couldn't… he just couldn't do it. _Why?_ He asked himself,_ Why couldn't I? Is it because of Vietnam- am I afraid because she went berserk? No, it's what she's been ever since we left the Zoo. Her ultimate goal is to kill Diva and end the suffering in this world by eliminating chiropterans- all chiropterans. She clearly had no time for emotions, especially the one that Hagi stifled behind his stoic façade. He hid his emotions because she had no need of them, they would only distract her and create awkwardness. He did everything to please his queen. _As the song ended, he looked down at his cello, hiding the fact that he was blinking back tears.

During this session, they were practicing another song that didn't have words, yet. It was mainly played by acoustic guitar and Hagi played along with it. The melody was simple, but the harmony was a bit more complex. They had tried a few lyrics with it, but nothing seemed to fit.

Angie came over to Hagi as the group began to break down the equipment, "Marva says your gonna be leaving soon, Hagi."

He sighed as he began to put his cello in the case, "Yes, I am going back to be with Saya."

Angie gave him a big hug and cried, "Oh, I'm so happy for you! Are you going to ask her to marry you? Could you bring her back here so we can meet her?"

"We will see," Hagi stated. He didn't want them to know the truth. "I will be leaving in six days."

Angie looked at the rest of the band and then Marva and Claudia, "We have to throw you a going away party."

"Yeah," everyone agreed.

"That will not be necessary," he responded. He was not keen on the idea of being the center of attention- especially on a day that he may be saying farewell forever.

"Yes, it is necessary, Big Brother," Claudia mimicked his tone- teasing him, as she walked over and hugged him. "We're going to miss you. I know my life won't be the same without you here."

He smiled at his sister and then turned to the group, "Alright."

Six days aren't a long time for someone whose life is eternal, but those six days seemed to fly by. Claudia was going to Italy to work for a designer, but she wouldn't be leaving for a month. She was planning on what she needed to bring with her and what she could replace when she got there.

He gently rapped on the doorframe.

"Come in," she called. She saw Hagi enter and smiled as she patted the empty space next to her on the bed. He sat down as she rummaged through a box of things.

"So, are you ready to move?" he asked.

"Ha. Ha. Ha, Big Brother," she answered.

He smiled as she continued to rummage though the box.

She then turned to him with tears in her eyes, "I can't believe you're leaving today. I'm gonna miss you." She threw her arms around his neck and tackled him to the bed. She then began to dig her knuckles into his hair to mess it up. He pushed her off, laughing.

"You really should laugh more, Big Brother," she smiled.

He straightened his hair as he chuckled as he retied the ribbon around it.

She considered the ponytail and then commented, "You know, I could cut that off for you. It may make you look better."

Hagi's look of surprise was priceless. He had come to realize, as had many others on the ranch, that only Claudia could make him react with his face. She had a way of shocking him. He composed himself and replied, "No, Claudia. I have always had long hair. I do not wish to change it."

"Does she like it like that? Is that it?" she asked.

He looked at his shoes as he cleared his throat before he gave a quiet answer, "Yes." He remembered, when he was a young boy at the Zoo, Saya would braid his hair. He loved the way her hands stroked his wavy locks, albeit roughly.

"Remember what I said, 'Let her see the real you, tell her the truth about how you feel, and no murder suicide pacts." Claudia held her finger to his face as her strong gaze told him that she was not backing down. She finally shook her head and turned back to her task.

Hagi sighed, _there's that advice again._

Claudia began to rummage in another box, pulling out a personal undergarment- a red bra. Hagi turned his head in embarrassment. Claudia was dumbstruck this time. "What's the matter, Big Brother, haven't you seen a bra before?"

"Yes, but it is not proper for a man to look at women's undergarments."

"Then, how do you take care of Saya if you can't look at her underwear?"

"That is different. If she is injured or unconscious, I must attend to her."

Claudia raised an eyebrow, "Does that include sex, too."

Hagi shot a look at her, color growing on his cheeks, "Of course not."

She howled with laughter. She knew that only she could bring him to this point of shock and embarrassment, but she didn't really expect this much reaction. She tried to control her laughter and asked, "Oh, come on, I'm sure you two have…"

He tried to regain his composure as he cleared his throat. The color just would not leave his cheeks. She turned his face to look into his eyes- they conveyed embarrassment, but something else... innocence! He turned away from her as she gasped with realization, "Oh, my god you haven't. As much as you love her and as long as you've been with her and you haven't?"

Hagi buried his face in his hands. _This is not the kind of discussion I want to have with Claudia or anyone else._

She thought for a second before musing, "Being with someone for over a century and never, ever doing it with them- what's that like?"

Hagi looked up and responded, "Sometimes it is hard." He immediately saw the mistake and hissed. The ranch hands usually had a good laugh from the crude humor in these situations. He had noticed the 20-year-old Claudia did, too.

Claudia roared with laughter as tears squeezed from her eyes, "I'll bet!"

Hagi rose to leave, he wasn't going to stay any longer. He'd suffered enough humiliation for one night.

Claudia grabbed his sleeve as she caught her breath. "Oh, oh, Big Brother," she managed to say, "I'm sorry, but you stepped right into that one."

"I know," He answered. "I really do not think a young lady should participate in such vulgar jokes." This was just too humiliating.

"Oh, Hagi, I am really sorry." She let go of his sleeve and looked up at him. His was looking toward the door. She thought before she spoke, "Tell her for me, that she's a really lucky girl. You are a rare person, Big Brother. You hold your feelings in to protect her and yet you wait, only for her. It really is beautiful."

He sighed as he walked out. It broke his heart to think that he could never let Saya know how much he loved her. Why was it that Claudia just had to remind him?

He packed his daggers in the secret compartment near Saya's sword. He touched the sheath the sword rested in. He could feel it deep inside- this would be the last time. This time, the war would end. He packed the neatly folded extra suit in a separate compartment along with a change of clothes that he's picked out for Saya. Sometimes, clothes would get bloody and torn during battles, a change of clothes was a necessity for them. He looked at his room for the last time; he knew he would never return. This time, the war would end. He shouldered his cello and headed to the party that his adoptive family was giving him.

The party was lively, Angie and her friends played familiar songs and everyone was eating, except Hagi. People danced around the barn and Claudia danced with one of the boys from her school. He had briefly met the young man once when he came to get Claudia for their date. Hagi recalled his name was Gary. They had been dating for a couple of months now. Hagi walked up to the couple and tapped the young man on the shoulder after the song ended. The extended his arm and stated, "If you want the next dance, that's fine. I'll get her back later," he winked at Claudia as he walked to a group of friends.

Hagi bowed gracefully before her and took the young lady he called his sister in his arms. They began to move to the music as she commented, "So you're gonna wear that tired old suit?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Why? Is there something wrong with it?"

"It's outdated and it makes you look so- formal," she stated as she crinkled her nose. "It just makes you look like a mortician."

"It is adequate for…" he began.

"…for your needs," she nodded as she interrupted. "You always say that. Hagi, why can't you just listen to everyone's advice- be yourself. Let Saya see you for who you are." He looked away. "Big Brother," she waited until he looked at her again. "She'll never know who you are, if you're always hiding behind that poker face of yours." She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Then you'll never get laid." She giggled as she watched a slight color rise to his cheeks.

"Claudia," he scolded. He was slightly surprised at the memory tone invoked. It was the same tone he used when scolding Saya about sticking her fingers in the jelly and then licking them off.

"Oh, Big Brother, you are hopeless," she sighed. She decided to give him another little shock,"So, have you learned Japanese, yet?"

He looked at her, the shock evident on his face, "How did you know?"

"I saw the English/Japanese translation book on your bed when you were out telling Fury goodbye. So Saya is in Japan- not France."

"Claudia," he pleaded, "please..."

"I won't tell anyone," she interrupted. She hugged him close as tears fell from her eyes. "Please, be careful, Big Brother. Come home safe."

He looked way, but she could still see the hopelessness growing in his eyes.

"Promise me, you'll try." She kissed his cheek and turned to walk away. She knew he would not be able to keep that promise.

He gave everyone hugs as he prepared to leave. When he came to Marva, she was dabbing her eyes with a tissue. He noticed that all her hair was now gray and lines had formed on her face. She was growing older. He wondered how much she would change in the time he would be gone, but he'll never know. He knew deep down inside, he wasn't coming back. She embraced him in a tight hug. He allowed tears to fall from his closed eyes, "I will miss you, Mother."

She cupped his face in her hands, "Promise me, you'll try." She looked into his eyes.

Those same words were uttered by Claudia only a few hours ago. He knew that she knew he couldn't answer her. The words stung his heart. How he wished he could try to convince Saya, but no one knew Saya like him. It was her only wish and she demanded it be kept- the extinction of all chiropterans. "Goodbye, Mother," he said, shakily as he quickly walked out the door.

He watched the ranch house growing smaller and smaller from the rear window of the taxi. _I will miss them all, but it is time to return to you, Saya. It is time for you to wake up._

Marva and Claudia watched from the dining room window as the tail lights from the cab faded into the night.

They turned to face Jim, Clay, Ray, Bubba, and Dan. She pet Claudia on the shoulder as she sighed, "Everyone have a seat." When they all were seated she continued, "I don't think Hagi would like this, but I just don't know how I can keep his secret from you. Most of you have come to me with questions about him and I just didn't know how to answer you." She took a shaky breath, "Hagi is not my son- not by blood, at least. He's not even human."

**A/N I will be working on the next series of this story and be sure to post it soon. It will be under the name Life, Love, and Family part 2. Please let me know what you think so far. Criticism is always welcome (any feedback is welcome). **


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